Skip to main content

Artificial Intelligence

Question for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

UIN HL10383, tabled on 20 September 2023

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help the Frontier AI Taskforce build safe and reliable frontier AI models.

Answered on

28 September 2023

In April this year, The Prime Minister and Technology Secretary announced £100 million in start-up funding for the Foundation Model Taskforce, now known as the UK’s Frontier AI Taskforce.

The Taskforce is chaired by Ian Hogarth, a renowned tech investor, entrepreneur and AI specialist who has co-authored the annual State of AI report since 2018.

The Taskforce is made up of Civil Servants and a technical research team - comprising some of the brightest minds in AI research. The Taskforce’s core mission is to support the safe and reliable development and deployment of AI foundation models in the public and private sectors to improve UK capabilities in this transformative technology, and to evaluate the risks posed by the rapidly advancing frontier of AI. Leading AI companies Anthropic, DeepMind and OpenAI have committed to providing deep access to their AI models so the Taskforce’s researchers have all the tools they need to do this successfully.

The Frontier AI Taskforce is not competing with the labs in building frontier AI models.

Ian and the Taskforce team are supported by a heavy-hitting External Advisory Board, from across the national security community, industry and the third sector. The Board will help to guide the Taskforce’s work in conducting safety research ahead of the first global Summit on AI safety, due to be hosted in the UK later this year.