The UK government recently announced the renaming of the institution originally known as the "AI Safety Research Institute" to the "AI Safety Research Academy," marking a significant shift in the government's strategy in the field of AI. The new name not only reflects the change in the institution's functions but also demonstrates the UK government's strong commitment to promoting the development of the AI industry.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, licensed from Midjourney
This change was announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the new AI Safety Research Academy will focus on cybersecurity, aiming to "enhance protection against the risks that AI poses to national security and crime." Initially focused on the existential risks and biases of large language models, the academy will now redirect its efforts towards how to leverage AI technology to mitigate security risks.
Additionally, the UK government announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the AI company Anthropic. While specific services were not disclosed, the memorandum indicates that both parties will "explore" the use of Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, to improve public services. Anthropic will participate in scientific research and economic modeling, providing tools to assess AI capabilities to help identify security risks for the AI Safety Research Academy.
Co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, stated: "AI has the potential to transform the way governments serve their citizens. We look forward to exploring how to utilize Anthropic's AI assistant Claude to help the UK government enhance the efficiency of public services, making critical information and services more accessible and convenient."
It is noteworthy that this transition of the AI Safety Research Academy is not surprising. The newly elected UK Labour government did not mention terms such as "safety," "hazards," "existence," or "threats" in the AI development plan released in January, indicating a greater focus on investment and technological development, especially in collaboration with major tech companies.
In the future, the government hopes to improve civil servants' work efficiency through the AI assistant "Humphrey," while also launching new tools like digital wallets and chatbots to enable citizens to access government services more conveniently. Despite ongoing security concerns, the government seems to believe that the pace of rapid development should not be hindered by security considerations.
The chair of the AI Safety Research Academy, Ian Hogarth, stated that despite the name change to "AI Safety Research Academy," the institution's mission remains the same, continuing to assess the serious risks faced by the public and deepen collaboration with the national security community to ensure citizens' safety.
Key Points:
🌐 The UK government has renamed the "AI Safety Research Institute" to the "AI Safety Research Academy," focusing on cybersecurity.
🤝 A memorandum of understanding has been signed with AI company Anthropic to explore the application of AI in public services.
📈 The government prioritizes AI development, with security issues no longer being the primary concern.
