One of the world’s leading AI labs has inked a new government partnership to investigate investments in the UK’s AI infrastructure and regional growth zones, revealing plans to revitalize communities with employment and growth.
The initiative also helps OpenAI share more technical information with the UK Institute of AI Security to deepen government knowledge of AI capabilities and security risks and support the government’s mission to use AI to transform taxpayer-funded services.
Openai also affirms its intention to build a research and engineering team to increase its footprint in the UK and implement partnership arrangements.
Openai and the UK government today signed a new strategic partnership to expand their AI security research collaboration, to consider plans for investment in UK AI infrastructure such as data centres, and find new ways to taxpayer-funded services such as security and education to make the most of the latest technology.
There are plans to deepen Openai’s commitment to the UK and increase the size of its London office. The move builds what began as the company’s first international venue just two years ago. There, research and engineering teams will contribute to the development of frontier AI models and provide support to UK businesses, developers and start-ups.
The partnership explores places where AI can be deployed in areas such as justice, defense, security, and educational technology, in line with UK standards and guidelines to demonstrate opportunities to make taxpayer funding services more efficient and effective.
Signed today by technology secretary Peter Kyle and open CEO Sam Altman, the Memorandum of Understanding identifies its intention to build on UK strengths in science, innovation and talent to “maintain the world-leading UK AI ecosystem rooted in democratic values.”
Under the partnership, Openai will also explore potential routes to provide infrastructure priorities set out in the AI’s Opportunity Action Plan and recognize the importance of UK sovereign power in achieving the economic benefits of AI. This move could mean that world-changing AI technology will be developed in the UK and will promote growth-producing discoveries.
We will expand to share that Openai can consider investing and supporting the AI growth zone. It was first announced in the AI Opportunity Action Plan since it received £2 billion in support in its spending review.
With over 200 bids from across the country, the AI growth zone is set up to be hotbeds for AI infrastructure, each raising billions of pounds of investment. Today’s news follows the UK government, which confirms that Scotland and Wales will both host AI growth zones with their computing strategies.
The initiative will invest in sovereign AI up to £500 million in the UK, support national AI champions, and partner with world-leading companies like Openai. This partnership is a key component of our mission to ensure that the UK continues to actively participate in the development of frontier AI, and UK citizens continue to benefit from economic growth provided by cutting-edge models.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
AI is based on encouraging changes that need to be seen across the nation, whether it fixes the NHS, breaks barriers to opportunity, or promotes economic growth. So when it comes to AI development and deployment, we need to make sure that the UK is at the forefront and center, so we can make sure that it works for us.
This cannot be achieved without companies like Openai, which is advancing this revolution internationally. This partnership will bring more work to the UK, create well-paid technology jobs, drive investment in infrastructure and provide critically to our national institutions on how technology will advance this world-changing technology.
Openai CEO Sam Altman said:
AI is the core national building technology that transforms the economy and brings growth. The UK has a strong legacy of scientific leadership, and its government was one of the first governments to recognize the possibilities of AI through its AI plan of opportunity action.
Now, it’s time to achieve the goals of the planning by turning ambition into action and bringing prosperity to everyone.
AI Labs can also work with the government to work with them on how they can help improve public services that are used daily by millions and promote economic growth across the country.
Openai’s large-scale language model, ChatGpt already supports multiple tools from “Humphrey,” the “Humphrey.”
For example, GPT 4O is used in “CONSULT,” a bespoke tool that speeds up the policy-making process by automatically sorting public responses to consultations.
In addition to supporting infrastructure plans laid out in the AI Opportunity Action Plan, Openai may explore the development of UK cutting-edge R&D infrastructure, focusing on areas of shared strategic interest with the UK government.
Notes for the editor
