Image source: GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
The UK Government is to set up an AI Safety Institute to explore the risks and possible social harms from the technology.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the plan in a speech to the Royal Society, in which he expressed an ambition for the UK to be a leader in AI while acknowledging the need to protect against it being used in ways that could be dangerous.
He referred to an earlier announcement on a £100 million investment in an AI taskforce that will have an initial focus on public services and said the Government will now follow up with the establishment of the AI Safety Institute.
“It will advance the world’s knowledge of AI safety,” he said. “And it will carefully examine, evaluate and test new types of AI, so that we can understand what each new model is capable of, exploring all the risks, from social harms like bias and misinformation through to the most extreme risks of all.
“The British people should have peace of mind that we’re developing the most advanced protections for AI of any country in the world, doing what’s right and what’s necessary to keep you safe.”
Sunak did not provide any further details of the plan for the institute but said its work would be shared with other countries.
International collaboration
“My vision, and our ultimate goal, should be to work towards a more international approach to safety, where we collaborate with partners to ensure AI systems are safe before they are released,” he said.
He also reiterated the importance of the Global AI Safety Summit – set to take place at Bletchley Park next week – to use it to push for an international statement on the nature of the risks.
This will be accompanied by a proposal for the creation of a global expert panel, nominated by the countries and organisations attending, to publish a report on the state of AI science.
A further step will involve efforts to ensure everyone in the country can benefit from the opportunities of AI.
Sunak said the tax and visa regimes will be used to support this and education reforms should give young people the skills to make use of the technology. He also pointed to plans to invest £900 million in a supercomputer and £2.5 billion in quantum computers.
'Trusted co-pilot' potential
The speech prompted a response from Rashik Parma, CEO of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. He said: “AI won’t grow up like The Terminator. If we take the proper steps, it will be a trusted co-pilot from our earliest school days to our retirement.
“The prime minister is correct that the public needs confidence in the people creating and making political decisions about AI.
“One way to build that trust is for AI to be developed and managed by licensed professionals who meet international ethical standards. This is what we’d like to see agreed after the AI Safety Summit.”
