Leading tech firms OpenAI and Microsoft are the latest to join an initiative spearheaded by the UK’s AI Security Institute (AISI) - encouraging trust and public confidence in AI as it rewires public services and drives national renewal.
Announced by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan as the AI Impact Summit in India draws to a close, the news bolsters the work of AISI’s Alignment Project which was first announced last summer, News Cover reports, citing UK government.
Some £27 million will now be made available through the fund, supporting research efforts to ensure AI systems work as they’re supposed to, with £5.6 million coming from OpenAI, and additional support from Microsoft and others.
Cementing the UK’s position as a world leader in frontier AI research, today also sees the first Alignment Project grants awarded to 60 projects from across 8 countries, with a second round due to open this summer.
AI alignment refers to the effort of steering advanced AI systems to reliably act as we intend them to, without unintentional or harmful behaviours. It involves developing methods that prevent such unsafe behaviours as AI systems become more capable. Progress on alignment is something that will boost confidence and trust in AI, ultimately supporting the adoption of systems which are increasing productivity, slashing medical scan times for patients, and unlocking new jobs for communities up and down the country.
Without continued progress in alignment research, increasingly powerful AI models could act in ways that are difficult to anticipate or control - which could pose challenges for global safety and governance.
