The state will work with the Silicon Valley outfit to identity potential uses of tech in public services, as well as the possibility of the firm supporting AI Growth Zones
The UK government has signed a cooperation agreement with OpenAI, via which the two parties will work together to better identify the risks of artificial intelligence, as well as opportunities for the technology to be deployed in public services.
The memorandum of understanding between the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the tech firm – best known for developing the generative AI tool ChatGPT – is “voluntary, not legally binding, and… does not prejudice against future procurement decisions”, the document states.
The MoU covers four main areas, beginning with “the transformative potential of AI”. In this area, the agreement states that “DSIT and OpenAI share a vision for building on the UK’s strengths in science, innovation and talent, to maintain a world-leading UK AI ecosystem rooted in democratic values”.
The agreement adds: “This partnership will support the UK’s goal to build sovereign AI in the UK: ensuring that the UK continues to drive critical AI research and participates actively in development of this unique technology.”
The second area of focus for the collaboration will be “public and private sector adoption”, where DSIT will work with the tech firm “to identify opportunities for how advanced AI models can be deployed throughout government and the private sector, to help civil servants work more efficiently, and to support small businesses and citizens to navigate public services more effectively”.
This work may encompass “cross-departmental initiatives designed to develop sovereign solutions to the UK’s hardest problems, including in areas such as justice, defence and security, and education technology”, and “may also include exploring how AI can be deployed in the public sector” more widely.
The third section of the agreement covers “infrastructure”, and includes a commitment that OpenAI and government will work together to “identify potential routes to deliver the infrastructure priorities laid out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan” published by DSIT in January.
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“This may include exploring OpenAI’s participation in AI Growth Zones, and other collaborative efforts to strengthen the UK’s capabilities in training, evaluating, and deploying next-generation models,” the MoU adds. “We may also explore avenues to develop state-of-the-art, AI-enabled R&D infrastructure in the UK, focused on shared areas of strategic interest.”
The final area addressed by the cooperation arrangement is “technical information exchange”. This section outlines that “OpenAI and the UK government will collaborate to improve understanding of capabilities and security risks, and to mitigate those risks”.
The MoU adds: “This may include expanding the existing partnership between OpenAI and the UK AI Security Institute to include the development of a new technical information sharing programme, partnering to deepen knowledge across government around evolving model capabilities and risks, exploring safety research collaborations, and partnering to develop safeguards that protect the public and uphold democratic values.”
‘Front and centre’
OpenAI and its technology is already a key partner for the government in its work on AI. The Silicon Valley firm’s large language model underpins the pending GOV.UK Chat online chatbot developed by the Government Digital Service to support citizen services across GOV.UK, as well as the ‘Humphrey’ set of tools used internally by the civil service.
The MoU was signed yesterday by the company’s chief executive and co-founder Sam Altman and, on behalf of government, by DSIT secretary of state Peter Kyle.
“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,” the minister said. “That’s why we need to make sure Britain is front and centre when it comes to developing and deploying AI, so we can make sure it works for us. 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, creating high-paid tech jobs, driving investment in infrastructure, and crucially giving our country agency over how this world-changing technology moves forward.”
Altman added: “AI is a core technology for nation building that will transform economies and deliver growth. 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.”
