The government has launched a scheme to bring AI engineering talent to the public sector, backed by a $1m (£739,000) grant from tech giant Meta.
As the government turns increasingly to AI tools to improve the efficiency of public services, the programme has been launched to secure highly sought after engineering experts to work on new tools and expand existing services such as Humphrey, a collection of automated tools used in the Civil Service.
The Open-Source AI Fellowship, as the name suggests, will focus on using open-source AI models, something championed by the programme’s benefactor Meta, which is funding the scheme via a grant handed to the Alan Turing Institute.
“Open-source technologies have great potential to help government increase productivity, support decision-making and deliver better public services,” said Alan Turing Institute chief executive Dr Jean Innes.
“These fellowships will offer an innovative way to match AI experts with the real world challenges our public services are facing.”
Experts in AI have been invited to apply for the fellowship, a 12-month tour of duty in government technology services.
“This Fellowship is the best of AI in action – open, practical, and built for public good. It’s about delivery, not just ideas – creating real tools that help government work better for people,” said Tech Secretary Peter Kyle.
“The Fellowship will help scale that kind of impact across government, and develop sovereign capabilities where the UK must lead, like national security and critical infrastructure.”
Meta’s support follows a recent announcement from the Facebook owner that it would be building a £12m research lab in Cambridge as part of the company’s “long-term commitment to innovation in the UK”.
Joel Kaplan, chief global affairs officer at Meta said: “This partnership with the Alan Turing Institute will help the government access some of the brightest minds and the technology they need to solve big challenges – and to do it openly and in the public interest.
“We hope these fellows will make a big, positive difference and help show just how valuable open-source AI can be to governments and society more broadly.”
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