STORY
The Government has announced up to £60 million for two new artificial intelligence research labs led by Oxford and University College London. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the labs would focus on making AI cheaper, more reliable and easier for businesses and public services to use.
The Government said the research would be backed by UK Research and Innovation and access to large scale computing power. The labs are expected to examine fundamental changes in how AI systems operate, including open source technologies that could run on more widely available hardware and methods that do not rely on vast centralised computing capacity.
AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the funding was intended to help Britain set the agenda for the next phase of AI development. The announcement forms part of the Government’s wider argument that public investment in research can support economic growth, productivity and national security.