This article is compiled by artificial intelligence observation
Translator: Sandy
The UK is planning a massive £1bn investment in artificial intelligence technology .
On Thursday, the UK government said a portion of its multi-year AI investment, around £300m, would come from UK companies, investment firms and overseas firms. Some of the US companies linked to the UK AI investment plan include Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, McKinsey and Ruihui, among others, although the UK did not disclose the amount invested by each company.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the European Commission said the UK would need to invest at least 2 billion euros in artificial intelligence research by 2020, with the same amount guaranteed each year.
Antony Phillipson, the UK's North American Trade Commissioner and consul general in New York , said the investments are part of a series of initiatives the UK government is working on. British lawmakers believe that this move will soon affect the British economy and society. It is understood that these measures include transforming transport infrastructure, investing in clean energy and addressing issues such as an aging population.
As for artificial intelligence, Phillipson said the rise of cutting-edge data processing technologies has the potential to "transform entire industries," whether it's life sciences or developing new drugs or improving manufacturing.
As part of the agreement, Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain plans to invest around £35 million in UK tech startups and will open its European headquarters in the UK. Canadian venture capital firm Chrysalix is also opening an office in the UK and plans to invest £110m in local artificial intelligence and robotics companies.
The University of Cambridge will also provide UK businesses with a £10m supercomputer to help with AI-related projects. The government said it would fund 1,000 PhDs working on artificial intelligence and related topics, as well as train 8,000 new computer science teachers in British secondary schools.
The move by the UK was influenced by investments in artificial intelligence from countries including France and China. Advances in artificial intelligence techniques like deep learning allow computers to quickly identify patterns in large amounts of data.
However, Philipson conceded that AI itself is a broad topic, and while deep learning appears to be driving many innovations in research, the UK will also invest in subfields of AI that have not received particular attention.
In addition, the UK will create a "data ethics and innovation" centre worth about 9 million pounds, which aims to help solve some of the ethical issues posed by artificial intelligence. Many research institutes have called on technologists, governments and companies to address some of the questions that AI and automation could have on society, such as whether it will replace human jobs, or whether it will develop into a more powerful weapon of war, and so on.
Phillipson didn't disclose too many details, but said it is possible that they would create some kind of general framework to govern the ethical use of artificial intelligence. As for how to implement this framework, it may involve some legislative measures, codes of conduct, or governments adopting a hands-off approach to allow companies to carry out related efforts.
Finally, he also mentioned the findings of a government-appointed committee (led by renowned computer scientist Wendy Hall at the University of Southampton) that found the AI industry could make the UK economy bigger by 2035 An increase of £654 billion.