The UK government has announced that it will receive priority access to certain AI models for safety purposes during London Tech Week 2023. The decision follows the increasing prevalence of AI systems and the need for caution about their applications. The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has emphasized that safety in AI is a priority for his government. This is why the UK will have early access to models developed by OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic to study them closely for research purposes and to assess their safety before the general rollout. Additionally, the UK has committed to investing in compute technology and quantum computing to become a leader in these fields.
The Prime Minister has further pledged £100 million ($125.1 million) towards an expert taskforce that manages the safety of AI applications. Sunak stated that we’re harnessing AI to transform our public services from saving teachers hundreds of hours of time spent lesson planning to helping NHS patients get quicker diagnoses and more accurate tests. AI can help us achieve the holy grail of public service reform: better, more efficient services.
Although AI has demonstrated impressive capabilities, such as generative AI, its potential ramifications to the tech industry and other sectors are currently being studied. It will likely be a while before we fully understand the disruption that this technology will cause across the globe. Therefore, the UK government’s focus on safety in AI is crucial, and early access to popular AI models is a necessary step towards assessing its potential impact.
