Latest news with #AlanTuringInstitute
Tahawul Tech
3 days ago
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
UK government and Meta team up on open-source AI
Meta has teamed up with a UK government institute in order to develop open-source AI models for public agency use. The social media giant is contributing $1 million to the open-source AI fellowship for a programme administered by the Alan Turing Institute (ATI). Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, stated the focus on open-source AI is key for the UK establishing its sovereign AI capacity. The year-long fellowships will use open-source AI models such as Meta's Llama to help the UK government develop its own AI tools without being dependent on closed systems from overseas companies such as OpenAI, Google or Microsoft. 'Open-source AI models are helping researchers and developers make major scientific and medical breakthroughs, and they have the potential to transform the delivery of public services, too', Kaplan wrote. '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'. Kaplan stated embedding open-source AI across government departments could help unlock up to £45 billion in productivity gains across the public sector while reducing costs for taxpayers. 'By building open-source tools in areas like national security, public health and planning reform, the fellows will help ensure public money is invested in a way that produces results for the government much more immediately and directly'. He noted the open-source models will be owned by government which means sensitive data is held in-house and not tied to contracts or systems provided by closed AI model companies. Jean Innes, CEO of the ATI, stated the fellowships 'will offer an innovative way to match AI experts with the real world challenges our public services are facing'. The fellowships will begin January 2026 with applications slated to open over the coming months. Source: Mobile World Live Image Credit: Stock Image
Euronews
11-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Meta to pay $1 million to bolster UK government's AI workforce
The United Kingdom is bolstering its tech workforce to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools for government. And Meta is footing the $1 million (€854,000) bill. Through the new 'Open-Source AI Fellowship,' 10 fellows will work with the UK government for one year to build AI tools for 'high-security use cases' in the public sector, such as language translation for national security or using construction data to speed up approval processes to build more homes. The fellows could also work on 'Humphrey,' a suite of AI-powered tools for civil servants to help them effectively deliver on minister requests, like summarising documents, consultations, and taking notes. The programme could also see fellows using Meta's Llama 3.5 AI model to create new tools that could unblock planning delays, boost national security, or reduce the cost to integrate AI throughout the government. Meta will issue the $1 million grant to the Alan Turing Institute, and fellows will then be placed in the UK government. '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,' Peter Kyle, the UK's technology secretary, said in a government release. The UK government is already testing an AI for the public service called Caddy, an open-source AI assistant used at Citizen's Advice centres. It gives the users of a government call service advice on common questions about managing debt, getting legal help, or knowing their rights as a customer. The fellowships will begin in January 2026, and all of the initiatives developed by the engineers will be open-source and available for public use. The announcement comes in the same week as another agreement struck between the UK government and Google Cloud that aims to upskill 100,000 civil servants in tech and AI by 2030. The goal of that programme is to have at least one in every 10 government officials be tech experts.
Sky News
11-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Government to announce new scheme as it ramps up AI adoption with backing from Facebook owner Meta
The government is speeding up its adoption of AI to try and encourage economic growth - with backing from Facebook parent Meta. It will today announce a $1m (£740,000) scheme to hire up to 10 AI"experts" to help with the adoption of the technology. Sir Keir Starmer has spoken repeatedly about wanting to use the developing technology as part of his "plan for change" to improve the UK - with claims it could produce tens of billions in savings and efficiencies. The government is hoping the new hires could help with problems like translating classified documents en masse, speeding up planning applications or help with emergency responses when power or internet outages occur. The funding for the roles is coming from Meta, through the Alan Turing Institute. Adverts will go live next week, with the new fellowships expected to start at the beginning of 2026. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: "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." He added: "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." The projects will all be based on open source models, meaning there will be a minimal cost for the government when it comes to licensing. Meta describes its own AI model, Llama, as open source, although there are questions around whether it truly qualifies for that title due to parts of its code base not being published. The owner of Facebook has also sponsored several studies into the benefits of government adopting more open source AI tools. 0:46 Mr Kyle's Department for Science and Technology has been working on its mission to increase the uptake of AI within government, including through the artificial intelligence "incubator", under which these fellowships will fall. The secretary of state has pointed to the success of Caddy - a tool that helps call centre workers search for answers in official documents faster - and its expanding use across government as an example of an AI success story. He said the tool, developed with Citizens Advice, shows how AI can "boost productivity, improve decision-making, and support frontline staff". A trial suggested it could cut waiting times for calls in half. My Kyle also recently announced a deal with Google to provide tech support to government and assist with modernisation of data. Joel Kaplan, the chief global affairs officer from Meta, said: "Open-source AI models are helping researchers and developers make major scientific and medical breakthroughs, and they have the potential to transform the delivery of public services too. "This partnership with ATI 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." Jean Innes, the head of the Alan Turing Institute, said: "These fellowships will offer an innovative way to match AI experts with the real world challenges our public services are facing."
Daily Record
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Fake AI biographies of Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney removed from Amazon
The online retail giant is pulling a book which wrongly claims the First Minister was born in America to a Polish mother. Amazon has removed fake AI biographies of Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney and Humza Yousaf after being called out by readers. The online retail giant is pulling a book which wrongly claims the First Minister was born in America to a Polish mother and another which incorrectly says Yousaf grew up in poverty to a father called Mohammed. One biography of Sturgeon alleged her family 'placed a high cost on education, difficulty painting and public service' and that her 'mom' became a 'nearby press flesher'. There are concerns that AI misinformation could have an influence on next year's Holyrood election. Sam Stockwell, from the Alan Turing Institute in London, told The Times: 'As generative AI becomes more accessible, many users can now automate professionalised descriptions and even full-length books of politicians using the immense amount of data these tools scrape from the internet on such individuals. 'Since text also lacks more obvious cues compared to videos or images which allow users to determine whether it is authentic or generated by AI, there is a risk that these AI-generated biographies could have a more persuasive effect on those who read them.' He added: 'With Scottish elections looming next year, one of the main concerns here is that threat actors [people or entities causing harm via the internet] could seek to undermine the reputation of political candidates by uploading fake biographies which include harmful, fabricated claims. 'Perhaps most worryingly, an absence of any labels or information indicating that these texts are AI -generated makes it more challenging for users to be aware of when they may be consuming such content.' The Swinney book was published shortly after he took office last year. It was called 'Scotland's Education Architect' and claimed he 'was not actually born in Scotland like many people may think'. It said he was from Ohio and that his mother was a Polish school dinner lady called Kazimiera. It also claimed he moved to Dunfermline as a child, battled poverty and then became a teacher. None of this is true. Swinney is from Edinburgh, his mother was called Agnes and he has never been a teacher. A spokesperson for Amazon said: 'We have content guidelines governing which books can be listed for sale, and we have pro-active and reactive methods that help us detect content that violates our guidelines, whether AI -generated or not. 'We invest significant time and resources to ensure our guidelines are followed and remove books that do not adhere to those guidelines.'
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Minister demands overhaul of UK's leading AI institute
The technology secretary has demanded an overhaul of the UK's leading artificial intelligence institute in a wide-ranging letter that calls for a switch in focus to defence and national security, as well as leadership changes. Peter Kyle said it was clear further action was needed to ensure the government-backed Alan Turing Institute met its full potential. In a letter to ATI's chair, seen by the Guardian, Kyle said the institute should be changed to prioritise defence, national security and 'sovereign capabilities' – a reference to nation states being able to control their own AI technology. The call for new priorities implies a downgrading of ATI's focus on health and the environment, which are two of three core subjects for the institute, alongside defence and security, under its 'Turing 2.0' strategy. 'Moving forward, defence and national security projects should form a core of ATI's activities, and relationships with the UK's security, defence, and intelligence communities should be strengthened accordingly,' Kyle wrote. Making clear that the Turing 2.0 strategy did not meet government requirements, Kyle indicated that he expected leadership changes at ATI. 'To realise this vision, it is imperative that the ATI's leadership reflects the institute's reformed focus,' he wrote in a letter first reported by Politico. 'While we acknowledge the success of the current leadership in delivering reform at the institute during a difficult period, careful consideration should be given to the importance of an executive team who possesses a relevant background and sector knowledge to lead this transition.' ATI is chaired by Doug Gurr, the former head of Amazon's UK operations and interim chair of the UK's competition watchdog. The institute is going through a restructuring under its chief executive, Jean Innes, which one in five staff have said puts ATI's credibility in 'serious jeopardy'. At the end of last year, ATI employed 440 staff, but it has since launched a redundancy process. Although the institute is nominally independent, it recently secured £100m from the government in a five-year funding deal. The letter said ATI's 'longer-term funding arrangement' could be reviewed next year. The government would maintain its current level of research and development from national security and defence for the next three years, Kyle wrote, and would increase the number of defence and national security staff embedded in the institute. Dame Wendy Hall, a professor of computer science at the University of Southampton and the co-chair of a 2017 government AI review, said ATI would cease to be a national institute under the government's proposed changes. 'If the institute focuses on defence and security it ceases to be a national institute on AI,' Hall said. 'It's not broad enough. If the government wants an AI institute that does defence and security then it should just call it that.' In February, the government indicated a focus on national security with its AI strategy by renaming its AI Safety Institute, established under the premiership of Rishi Sunak, the AI Security Institute. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion Kyle's letter also referred to the government's 50-point AI action plan as a 'testament' to the UK's AI ambitions, The plan's targets include a 20-fold increase in the amount of AI computing power under public control by 2030, and embedding AI in the public sector. A spokesperson for ATI said the institute was focused on 'high-impact missions' that support the UK including in defence and national security. 'We share the government's vision of AI transforming the UK for the better, welcome the recognition of our critical role, and will continue to work closely with the government to support its priorities and deliver science and innovation for the public good,' said the spokesperson. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the changes would be a 'natural next step' for ATI following the safety institute renaming. 'These proposed changes would not only ensure the Alan Turing Institute delivers real value for money – it would see it taking on a key role in safeguarding our national security,' said the spokesperson.
