The UK Government has launched an AI Assurance Stakeholder Consortium in collaboration with BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT) to spearhead the deployment of secure artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK.
The consortium aims to bring together key players from the UK’s existing AI assurance ecosystem to measure and assess the trustworthiness of AI systems.
This includes creating a skills and competency framework, a voluntary code of ethics for professionals, mapping information access requirements for AI assurance providers, and cross-sector collaboration to increase the visibility and quality of AI assurance.
According to government figures, the AI market could reach £18.8bn of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy by 2035.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said if the government wants people to take advantage of the benefits of AI, people need to trust it.
“AI Assurance will be a big part of our efforts to leverage AI to power business, improve public services and create opportunities for people,” he said.
“The UK already has all the ingredients needed to build a world-class AI assurance sector and this new consortium will spearhead that effort. Together, we can make the UK the most trusted place in the world for the development, deployment and assurance of AI.”
The consortium aims to bring together voices from across the AI assurance ecosystem to support the creation of a recognized AI assurance profession, which we believe is critical to safely introducing and scaling the use of AI in the UK.
The consortium was established by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), but will be led by BCS and chaired by engineer Emma McGuigan.
“AI assurance is no longer a niche issue, but is becoming essential infrastructure for economies that want to deploy AI confidently, responsibly, and at scale. The consortium will focus on practical steps to help organizations understand what good AI assurance looks like, from the ethics and skills of experts to the information needed to properly evaluate AI systems,” McGuigan said.
“Our goal is to support a trusted and globally respected AI assurance profession that helps unlock innovation while protecting people, organizations and society,” she added.
The government has also launched a £200m fund aimed at helping businesses upskill and deploy and scale AI. Announced at the AI Adoption Summit yesterday (June 8), the funding will be used for a range of initiatives, including accelerating AI adoption and launching an AI Adoption Growth Lab for businesses and regulators.
In addition, the Sovereign Computing Strategy will support UK homegrown companies developing AI products. We also announced a £1.1bn AI Hardware Plan aimed at improving the uptake and expansion of AI technology in the country.
In April, the government also launched a £500m Sovereign AI Fund to transform UK AI research into enterprises that can drive economic growth. The fund aims to invest directly in early and growth stage AI companies, with typical equity investments ranging from £1m to £10m.
