The UK Government has signed up to an agreement of G7 nations on AI that includes the development of a toolkit for its safe use in public services.
It is part of an international effort to ramp up the adoption of AI and boost productivity and economic growth.
An announcement from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the ministerial declaration was signed at the industry tech and digital meeting of the G7, and includes a commitment for the development of a toolkit to help governments assess the relevance of using AI in specific public sector domains and to deliver desired impacts.
It will include principles for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI into actionable policies, and provide guidance through use cases. This will include identifying the relevant skills needed and providing an overview of policies necessary for safe use of the technology in public services.
The agreement has come weeks after DSIT published its Introduction to AI Assurance, aimed at building public trust in deployments across all sectors.
Semiconductors and quantum
Other features in the G7 agreement include setting up a new group for collaboration on research and development and manufacturing of semiconductors, and a call for increased efforts to grow the quantum computing sector, with the upskilling of workers and exchange of expertise.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Michelle Donelan, said: “AI is already an extraordinary force for good in our society, with vast potential to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. I am determined that we continue to drive forward efforts to harness the enormous potential of these emerging technologies to unlock new opportunities and turbocharge productivity.
“Doing this in lockstep with our G7 partners adds to the rich history we already share of improving the lives of citizens across the globe, working together to address a shared set of challenges.
“Our two days of talks in Italy have laid the foundations for us to further this work in the age of AI and emerging tech, delivering transformative change through our shared expertise and innovation.”
