The money will be spent on a range of AI projects, including the development of a responsible AI ecosystem and net-zero carbon emissions initiatives. Credit: Thinkstock The UK government has announced $68 million (£54 million) in new investments for the development of AI technology, including $39 million for the creation of a research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI. The funding was announced by technology secretary Chole Smith during her speech at London Tech Week on Wednesday, and follows previous commitments to the AI sector made by the government. These include $126 million in funding for a Foundation Model Taskforce, which aims to support the development of secure and reliable AI models that can be used in industries such as healthcare and education, and a new AI research award which will offer $1.2million per year to the company that has achieved the “most groundbreaking British AI research.” The money for the projects will be delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The $39 million project, dubbed Responsible AI UK, is a large consortium that will be led by Professor of Artificial Intelligence Gopal Ramchurn from the University of Southampton. It has been established to fund “multidisciplinary research” into understanding what responsible and trustworthy AI is, how to develop it and build it into existing systems, and the impacts it will have on society. In addition to the funding for Responsible AI UK, $16.4 million has been awarded to 13 AI projects geared to help the UK meet its net-zero carbon emissions targets, and $10 million for two new Alan Turing AI research fellowships. Two and a half million dollars has also been allocated for 42 projects that will help facilitate the principles of safety, security and robustness; transparency and explainability; fairness; accountability and governance; and contestability, as outlined in the UK government’s AI white paper. “The technology landscape, though, is constantly evolving, and we need a tech ecosystem which can respond to those shifting sands, harness its opportunities, and address emerging challenges. The measures unveiled today will do exactly that,” Smith said, in comments posted alongside the announcement. Related content feature Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build? Get the latest info on new preview builds of Windows 11 as they roll out to Windows Insiders. Now updated for Build 22635.3566 for the Beta Channel, released on April 26, 2024. By Preston Gralla Apr 26, 2024 251 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows 11 news Dropbox adds end-to-end encryption for team folders Dropbox this week unveiled a range of features, including security updates and key management, and the ability to co-edit Microsoft 365 documents from within the file-sharing app. By Matthew Finnegan Apr 26, 2024 3 mins Cloud Storage Collaboration Software Productivity Software feature Android versions: A living history from 1.0 to 15 Explore Android's ongoing evolution with this visual timeline of versions, starting B.C. (Before Cupcake) and going all the way to 2024's Android 15 (beta) release. By JR Raphael Apr 26, 2024 23 mins Small and Medium Business Smartphones Android news analysis The unspoken obnoxiousness of Google's Gemini improvements Google's Gemini chatbot is seeing all sorts of upgrades on Android this week, but those advancements reveal a darker underlying reality. By JR Raphael Apr 26, 2024 12 mins Google Assistant Google Android Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe