OpenAI and Microsoft have pledged to provide millions in new funding to the UK government’s AI Security Institute in support of its AI Alignment Project.
The project is a flagship programme run by the institute that aims to coordinate internationally to establish global standards for AI safety, ensuring the most advanced iterations of the technology run safely and predictably.
The AI Alignment Project has already seen significant support from major firms in the industry, notably Anthropic, which backed the scheme at its launch in July last year.
With new support Microsoft and OpenAI announced on Fridat, £27m is now available for research into AI alignment.
The new support for the scheme was announced by the UK delegation at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
“AI offers us huge opportunities, but we will always be clear-eyed on the need to ensure safety is baked into it from the outset,” said Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy.
“We’ve built strong safety foundations which have put us in a position where we can start to realise the benefits of this technology. The support of OpenAI and Microsoft will be invaluable in continuing to progress this effort.”
Alongside the Big Tech firms already mentioned, the project has also been supported by AWS, Halcyon Futures and a coalition of international government AI and scientific research bodies, including the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the AI Safety Institute of Australia.
“We can only unlock the full power of AI if people trust it – that’s the mission driving all of us. Trust is one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption, and alignment research tackles this head-on,” said UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan.
“With fresh backing from OpenAI and Microsoft, we’re supporting work that’s crucial to ensuring AI delivers its huge benefits safely, confidently and for everyone.”
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