U.K. PLEDGES £100M TO SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The U.K. has pledged to support the creative industries amid increased penetration of artificial intelligence via a fund of more than £100 million, which aims to bolster regulators and advance research and innovation surrounding AI.

Nearly £90m of the fund will be put towards launching nine research hubs across the U.K. and a partnership with the US on responsible AI. Research projects that will help to define what responsible AI looks like across sectors, including the creative industries, will also receive £2m of funding.

Meanwhile, £19m will go toward 21 projects to develop innovative trusted and responsible AI and machine-learning solutions to accelerate deployment of these technologies and drive productivity.

In a drive to boost transparency and provide confidence to British businesses and citizens, key regulators, including Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority, have been asked to publish their approach to managing the technology by 4/30. It will see them set out AI-related risks in their areas, detail their current skillset and expertise to address them, and a plan for how they will regulate AI over the coming year.

The government says it will not rush to legislate, or risk implementing “quick-fix” rules that would soon become outdated or ineffective. Instead, a context-based approach should mean existing regulators are empowered to address AI risks in a targeted way.

Jo Twist, Chief Exec of British label trade body the BPI, said: “The music industry has consistently advocated a progressive approach to AI that will allow both the creative and tech sectors to grow in partnership.

“We welcome the government’s commitment to enabling this, together with a strong focus on greater transparency about the use of music and other rights-protected content, and an ongoing review of key issues such as deepfakes.

“The BPI and our members look forward to hearing more about the next steps to ensure that the U.K.’s intellectual property framework continues to recognize and reward the creators and the creative businesses that make the U.K. a global cultural and economic powerhouse.”