UK Invests £100 Million to Develop 'Sovereign' AI, Aims to Rival Models Like ChatGPT

In a bid to be globally competitive and avoid technical and ethical pitfalls, the UK government is set to establish a Foundation Model Taskforce with an initial £100 million investment to develop AI models that rival those such as ChatGPT. The team will work with the industry to ensure safety and reliability in the systems being developed. The taskforce will report directly to the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary, with a chairperson set to be announced this summer. The funding also comes alongside £900 million in the UK budget devoted to an exascale supercomputer and dedicated AI research. Officials hope to have "sovereign" AI technology that aids public services, creates medical treatments, and fights climate change.