UK BACKS NEW AI LABS TO MAKE TECHNOLOGY CHEAPER, MORE RELIABLE AND EASIER TO USE

LONDON, June 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

* Oxford and UCL to host newgovernment-backed labs developing the next generation of AI that more businesses and services can readily use * AI is already helping todiagnose cancer sooner andmakeour energysystems more resilient- these2 newlabs will ensure British people continue to benefit as the technology advances * Backed with up to£60 million and access to large-scale computing power, the labs will build the foundations for the next wave of AI breakthroughs to be made in Britain

Two new research labs ledbyOxford and University College London will share up to£60 millioningovernmentfundingtodevelopnewbreakthroughs in AIonBritish shores, it has been announced today (Tuesday 23 June).

AI hasquicklygone from being the staple of science fiction tosomething peopleuseeveryday- at work,in schoolsand public services.That includes in hospitalswhereit isscreeningpatients for cancer,in the energy sectordesigningbetterbatteries, and acceleratingdrugdiscoveryin medicine.

Butwe are still only scratching the surface of what AI could potentially deliver for the economy, public services, and society. The UK is uniquely placed to spearhead the fundamental work that could makeAIcheaper to run, more dependable,and easier for businesses,researchersand public services across the UK to adopt and use.

Supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the labs will open up entirely new avenues for what AI can do - from building open-source technologies that run on widely available hardware, which could include ordinaryconsumercomputers,to rethinking how AI systems learn withoutrequiringvast centralised computing power.

By focusingonchangestothe fundamentals of AI that couldlowercosts andimproveperformance, the work will helpopenAI to far more organisations - supporting new breakthroughs, boostingproductivityand accelerating innovation across the UK.

With some of the world's leading universities at the heart, the UK is uniquely placed to lead this work- helping to shore up oureconomic andnationalsecurity.

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said:

We are only just beginning to unlockAI'shuge potentialto grow our economy and improveourpublic services. With our world-leading universities and deep pool of AIexpertise, Britain can set the agenda for what comes next.

These new labswill lead the world in the fundamental work that is set to makeAI cheaper, more practical and easier toadoptso more businesses and public services across the UK can benefit.

And by building this capability hereat home, backed by our world leadinguniversities, we're strengthening our own expertise,reducingreliance on othersand securing Britain's place at the forefront of this technology-fittingly announced on what would have been Alan Turing's 114thbirthday.

UCL Lead Professor David Barber said:

We'revery excitedthat UCL will be the leading the new SOFAIR Lab. While current AI systems are impressive, many still suffer from basic issues such as inaccurate responses to questions. These systems often use similar underlying architectures, so SOFAIR will bring together the broader sciences and fresh ideas to create a new generation of open-source models. This will reduce dependency on the small number ofmodel providers, boosting UK sovereignty and its position as a global player in AI.

Oxford UniversityAssociate Professor Jakob Foerstersaid:

The UK cannot win the global AI race simply by trying to outspend the largest technology companies on data and compute. BOLD is about a different route: discovering fundamentally new ways to build AI that are more efficient, more openand better aligned with human needs.

By focusing on new paradigms for learning, rather than only scaling existing methods, we aim to help secure the UK's sovereign capability in AI and ensure that academic research can shape the future of the field.

Professor Charlotte Deane, Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI AI Programme and Executive Chair of EPSRC, said:

The UK is already one of the world's leading nations in AI research.

We are one of the few countries in the world with all the right ingredients, from a deep pool of top AI experts to world-class universities.

These labs will put that advantage to work, backing the bold, high-reward ideas that can shape the future of AI. We look forward to working with the labs to maximise the benefits for the UK.

The Science of Fundamental AI Research (SOFAIR) Lab will develop new open-source AI technologiesthat can runon widely available hardware.

Led by Professor David Barber at UCL alongside the universities of Cambridge,Oxfordand Edinburgh, it will bring together researchers fromacrosscomputer science, mathematics,statisticsand neuroscience to explore newways todesignAIsystems.This will makeadvanced AItoolscheaper and moreaccessible

The British Open-ended Learning and Discovery (BOLD) Lab willrethink how AI learns from the world around us.

Led by Professor Jakob Foerster at the University of Oxford, with UCL and Imperial College London,thelabwill develop systemsthat canlearn more efficiently, adapt to new situations and navigate physical spaces.By focusing on practical, human centred AI, the lab will help turn research into tools that can be used in workplaces,infrastructureand public services - supporting wider adoption across the economy.

Government is making up to£60 million availablethrough UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)to support these labs over the next6 years,alongside access tolargescale computing power worth tens of millions of pounds - essentially the processing power to run and train AI models.

Today's announcement goes further than first planned,doubling the number of labs from one to two and increasing total investment from £40 million to up to £60 million-reflecting thescale of opportunity for the UK.

Both labs will invest in top AI researchers at every career stage, with £2 million per lab earmarked for hiring at least 10 doctoral students- helping tobuild and grow the UK's talent.The labs will also work closely with existing leaders in British AI research like the Alan Turing Institute andUKRI's AI researchhubs.

Thefunding forms part of theUKRI AI Strategy- a £1.6 billion plan to strengthen the UK'sleadershipin AI over the next 4 years.With world-class universities, leading researchers and a growing AI sector, the UK is well placed not just to develop AI, but to ensure more organisations can use it -strengthening the country's capability,resilienceand long-term growth.

ENDS

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