UKRI ploughs £54m investment in AI presenting opportunity for research industry

Government body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has unveiled a suite of AI investments bringing together academia and the business world.

The move comes as Rishi Sunak’s government looks to position itself as an AI world leader.

UKRI invests billions every year into research and innovation across universities, colleges, research institutions and businesses in the UK.

Its investment in AI include-

▪ £31 million for a consortium to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI

▪ £2 million for 42 projects’ feasibility studies in businesses as part of the BridgeAI programme

▪ £13 million to fund 13 projects to help the UK meet its net zero targets

▪ £8 million for two Turing AI World Leading Researcher Fellowships

The biggest investment, £31m, has been awarded to a large consortium called Responsible AI UK, which hopes to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI that will be responsive to the needs of society. It will work across universities, businesses, public and third sectors and the general public.

It will fund multidisciplinary research that helps understand what responsible and trustworthy AI is, how to develop it and build it into existing systems, and the impacts it will have on society.

Crucially, the consortium will provide guidance for businesses in deploying AI solutions responsibly and will also undertake large-scale research programmes, which could present an opportunity for the market research industry.

Additionally, £2 million will be awarded to 42 projects to carry out feasibility studies in businesses, also a potential opportunity for the research industry.

These will accelerate the adoption of trusted and responsible AI and machine learning (ML) technologies, with projects looking at developing a range of tools to facilitate assessment of AI technologies with regards to:

A further £13 million will be used to fund 13 projects to help the UK meet its net-zero targets. These projects will be led by universities across the UK.

UKRI has also awarded two new Turing AI World Leading Researcher Fellowships, with professor Michael Bronstein and professor Alison Noble, both based at the University of Oxford, will conduct ground-breaking work on some of AI’s biggest challenges.

Chloe Smith MP, secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “The safe and responsible development of AI is one of the government’s top priorities and this announcement is a substantial investment in that mission, complementing our existing work such as the global summit on AI safety, the Foundation Model Taskforce, and implementing our AI regulatory framework.”