UK Launches Initiative to Develop Global AI Standards

The UK government has announced a new initiative to develop global standards for artificial intelligence (AI).

The Alan Turing Institute, supported by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), will pilot the AI Standards Hub, which is designed to improve AI governance as the use of these technologies increases in society. The hub will be backed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Office for AI (OAI).

In its pilot phase, the hub will focus on four areas:

Growing UK engagement to develop global AI standards
Bringing the AI community together
Creating tools and guidance for education, training and professional development
Exploring international collaboration with similar initiatives

It is hoped the scheme will help facilitate innovation in AI and unlock the enormous economic potential of these technologies. This can allow organizations to improve their productivity and develop more flexible ways of working, leading to significant societal benefits. For example, in cybersecurity, AI is already playing a vital role in detecting threats and relieving pressures on security teams.  

The UK government has published new research showing that UK businesses spent around £63bn on AI technology and AI related-labor in 2020. It also estimated that investment in AI will reach more than £200bn by 2040.

However, there remains significant security, ethical and legal concerns around the use of AI, including data collection and storage and algorithmic bias. This necessitates the  launches initiative develop global standards