UK and OpenAI Forge Strategic Partnership to Boost AI Development and Infrastructure

UK and ChatGPT maker OpenAI sign new strategic partnership

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Britain and ChatGPT maker OpenAI have signed a new strategic partnership to deepen collaboration on AI security research and explore investing in British AI infrastructure, such as data centres, the government said on Monday. "AI will be fundamental in driving the change we need to see across the country - whether that's in fixing the NHS (National Health Service), breaking down barriers to opportunity or driving economic growth," Peter Kyle, secretary of state for technology, said in a statement. "This can't be achieved without companies like OpenAI, who are driving this revolution forward internationally. This partnership will see more of their work taking place in the UK." The government has set out plans to invest 1 billion pounds in computing infrastructure for AI development, hoping to increase public compute capacity 20 fold over the next five years. The United States, China and India are emerging as front runners in the race to develop AI, putting pressure on Europe to catch up. The partnership with OpenAI, whose tie-up with Microsoft once drew the scrutiny of Britain's competition regulator, will see the company possibly increase the size of its London office, and explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defence, security and education technology. In the same statement, OpenAI head Sam Altman praised the government for being the first to recognise the technology's potential through its "AI Opportunities Action Plan" - an initiative by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to turn the UK into an artificial intelligence superpower. The Labour government, which has struggled to increase economic growth meaningfully in its first year in power and has since fallen behind in polls, has said that the technology could increase productivity by 1.5% a year, worth an extra 47 billion pounds ($63.37 billion) annually over a decade. ($1 = 0.7417 pounds) Reporting by Muvija M in London and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona and Cynthia Osterman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI and UK sign new AI agreement to boost security, infrastructure

July 21 (Reuters) - The UK government said it signed a strategic partnership with OpenAI on Monday, with plans to expand AI security research collaborations and explore investing in AI infrastructure such as data centres. The Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O), opens new tab AI startup will also expand its London office, building up its research and engineering teams at OpenAI's first international location opened two years ago, according to a statement. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will share technical information with the UK AI Security Institute to deepen the government's knowledge of AI capabilities and security risks. "The partnership will explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defence and security, and education technology in line with UK standards and guidelines to demonstrate the opportunity to make taxpayer funded services more efficient and effective," the statement said. Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI is getting closer with the UK government

The UK government has announced a new strategic partnership with OpenAI that could lead the company to "expand AI security research collaborations, explore investing in UK AI infrastructure like data centers, and find new ways for taxpayer funded services" to use AI. The move follows the introduction of the AI Action Plan in January, which fast-tracks the construction of data centers in certain regions of the UK. In the (entirely voluntary) partnership agreement -- technically a Memorandum of Understanding -- OpenAI and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) agree to tackle positive-sounding, but ultimately vague tasks things like finding ways for "advanced AI models" to be used in both the public and private sectors and sharing information around the security risks of AI. OpenAI is also supposed to help DSIT identify ways it can deliver on the infrastructure goals of the AI Action Plan, and possibly explore building in one of the UK's new data center-friendly "AI Growth Zones." All of this sounds nebulous and non-committal because the memorandum OpenAI signed is not at all legally-binding. The partnership sounds nice for elected officials eager to prove the UK is competing in AI, but it doesn't tie anyone down, including the UK government: If Anthropic offers a deal on Claude, they can take it. OpenAI already has offices in London, so deepening its investment doesn't seem out of the question. Signing the memorandum is also consistent with OpenAI's growing interest in working with governments desperate for the high-tech gloss of the AI industry. The logic follows that if OpenAI can get regulators dependent on its tools -- say, a ChatGPT Gov specifically designed for government agencies -- they'll be more inclined to favor the company in policy decisions. Or at the very least, making a show of collaborating early could win the company a sweeter deal down the road.

OpenAI signs deal with UK to find government uses for its models

Wide-ranging agreement with artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT comes after similar UK deal with Google Sam Altman, leader of one of the world's biggest artificial intelligence companies, has signed a deal with the British government to explore the deployment of advanced AI models in areas including justice, security and education. The chief executive of OpenAI, which has been valued at $300bn and provides the ChatGPT suite of large language models, agreed the memorandum of understanding with the science and technology secretary, Peter Kyle, on Monday. It follows a similarly wide-ranging deal between the UK government and OpenAI's rival US tech company, Google, which campaigners called "dangerously naive", citing fears that the arrangement could leave the public sector dependent on private technology providers and make it harder for politicians to regulate them. The latest agreement states that OpenAI and the government "will collaborate to identify opportunities for how advanced AI models can be deployed throughout government", including "to help civil servants work more efficiently" and to support "citizens to navigate public services more effectively". It said they will collaborate to develop AI solutions "to the UK's hardest problems, including in areas such as justice, defence and security, and education technology" and develop partnerships "to expand public engagement with AI technology". Altman has previously predicted that AI laboratories will this year reach a level of performance that is known as artificial general intelligence, equivalent to human level intelligence at a range of tasks. At the same time, the British public is divided over the risks and rewards of the fast-developing technology. A survey by Ipsos found that 31% are mostly excited about the possibilities, but somewhat concerned about the risks. Another 30% are mostly concerned about the risks, but somewhat excited about the possibilities. Kyle said: "AI will be fundamental in driving the change we need to see across the country - whether that's in fixing the NHS, breaking down barriers to opportunity or driving economic growth." He said this "can't be achieved without companies like OpenAI" and added that the partnership would give Britain "agency over how this world-changing technology moves forward". Altman said: "Britain has a strong legacy of scientific leadership and its government was one of the first to recognise the potential of AI through its AI opportunities action plan. Now, it's time to deliver on the plan's goals by turning ambition to action and delivering prosperity for all." Open AI is to expand its operation in the UK beyond the more than 100 staff it currently has. As part of the Google deal announced earlier this month, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said that Google DeepMind - the tech company's AI division, led by the Nobel prize-winning scientist Demis Hassabis - would "collaborate with technical experts in government to support them in deploying and diffusing new emerging technologies, driving efficiencies across the public sector, including accelerating scientific discovery". OpenAI has already provided its technology to power an AI chatbot intended to allow small businesses to more easily get advice and support from government webpages. Its technology also underpins some of the tools in "Humphrey", Whitehall's AI assistant that aims to speed up the civil service.

OpenAI and the UK form partnership to expand AI research, infrastructure

"AI will be fundamental in driving the change we need to see across the country - whether that's in fixing the NHS (National Health Service), breaking down barriers to opportunity or driving economic growth," Peter Kyle, secretary of state for technology, said in a statement. "This can't be achieved without companies like OpenAI, who are driving this revolution forward internationally. This partnership will see more of their work taking place in the UK." The government has set out plans to invest 1 billion pounds in computing infrastructure for AI development, hoping to increase public compute capacity 20 fold over the next five years.

UK and ChatGPT maker OpenAI sign new strategic partnership - The Economic Times

The government has set out plans to invest 1 billion pounds in computing infrastructure for AI development, hoping to increase public compute capacity 20 fold over the next five years.Britain and ChatGPT maker OpenAI have signed a new strategic partnership to deepen collaboration on AI security research and explore investing in British AI infrastructure, such as data centres, the government said on Monday. "AI will be fundamental in driving the change we need to see across the country - whether that's in fixing the NHS (National Health Service), breaking down barriers to opportunity or driving economic growth," Peter Kyle, secretary of state for technology, said in a statement. "This can't be achieved without companies like OpenAI, who are driving this revolution forward internationally. This partnership will see more of their work taking place in the UK." The government has set out plans to invest 1 billion pounds in computing infrastructure for AI development, hoping to increase public compute capacity 20 fold over the next five years. The United States, China and India are emerging as front runners in the race to develop AI, putting pressure on Europe to catch up. The partnership with OpenAI, whose tie-up with Microsoft once drew the scrutiny of Britain's competition regulator, will see the company possibly increase the size of its London office, and explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defence, security and education technology. In the same statement, OpenAI head Sam Altman praised the government for being the first to recognise the technology's potential through its "AI Opportunities Action Plan" - an initiative by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to turn the UK into an artificial intelligence superpower. The Labour government, which has struggled to increase economic growth meaningfully in its first year in power and has since fallen behind in polls, has said that the technology could increase productivity by 1.5% a year, worth an extra 47 billion pounds ($63.37 billion) annually over a decade.

OpenAI and UK Government Partner on AI Infrastructure and Deployment | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. The memorandum of understanding, which is voluntary and not legally binding, aims to "maintain a world-leading UK AI ecosystem rooted in democratic values," the U.K.'s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said in a Monday (July 21) press release. The partnership includes exploring the deployment of AI to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of taxpayer-funded services, the development of AI technology in the U.K. and support of the country's AI Growth Zones, according to the release. The agreement marks a deepening of OpenAI's commitment to the U.K., which included the company choosing the country for its first international office two years ago, the release said. In addition, the company's ChatGPT large language model powers an AI assistant called Humphrey that is used by the U.K.'s civil service. It comes at a time when the U.K. is investing up to 500 million pounds (about $675 million) in sovereign AI, per the release. "This partnership will see more of [OpenAI's] work taking place in the U.K., creating high-paid tech jobs, driving investment in infrastructure, and crucially giving our country agency over how this world-changing technology moves forward," Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said in the release. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the release: "Britain has a strong legacy of scientific leadership and its government was one of the first to recognize the potential of AI through its AI Opportunities Action Plan." The AI Opportunities Action Plan pledges to ramp up AI adoption across the U.K. through world class research, startup scale-up support, AI governance leadership and other actions, PYMNTS reported in February. In November, the U.K. government announced that it was providing a platform to help businesses assess and mitigate the risks associated with AI as the technology's use becomes more widespread. The U.K. has taken a decidedly "pro-innovation" approach to the question of AI regulation, PYMNTS reported in February 2024. The government's regulatory framework for AI is centered on the goal of transforming the U.K. into an "AI-enabled" nation, as well as a science and technology superpower, by the end of the decade.

OpenAI and UK sign new AI agreement to boost security, infrastructure

(Reuters) -The UK government said it signed a strategic partnership with OpenAI on Monday, with plans to expand AI security research collaborations and explore investing in AI infrastructure such as data centres. The Microsoft-backed AI startup will also expand its London office, building up its research and engineering teams at OpenAI's first international location opened two years ago, according to a statement. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will share technical information with the UK AI Security Institute to deepen the government's knowledge of AI capabilities and security risks. "The partnership will explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defence and security, and education technology in line with UK standards and guidelines to demonstrate the opportunity to make taxpayer funded services more efficient and effective," the statement said. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)