AI Daily: OpenAI signs ‘strategic partnership’ with United Kingdom

Catch up on the top artificial intelligence news and commentary by Wall Street analysts on publicly traded companies in the space with this daily recap compiled by The Fly:

PARTNERSHIP: Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI and the U.K. government have signed a new strategic partnership setting out plans to expand AI security research collaborations, explore investing in U.K. AI infrastructure like data centers, and find new ways for taxpayer funded services like security and education to make best use of the latest tech, according to a statement by U.K.’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It comes as OpenAI deepens its commitment to the U.K., with plans to increase the size of its London office to follow. The move will build out what started as the company’s first international location just 2 years ago, where research and engineering teams contribute to the development of frontier AI models, and support is provided to U.K. business, developers and start-ups. The partnership will explore where it can deploy AI in areas such as justice, defense and security, and education technology in line with U.K. standards and guidelines to demonstrate the opportunity to make taxpayer funded services more efficient and effective.

Signed by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the “Memorandum of Understanding” sets out intent to build on the UK’s strengths in science, innovation and talent to “maintain a world-leading U.K. AI ecosystem rooted in democratic values.” Under the partnership, OpenAI will also explore potential routes to deliver the infrastructure priorities laid out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, recognizing the importance of U.K. sovereign capability in achieving the economic benefits of AI. The move could mean that world-changing AI tech is developed in the U.K., driving discoveries that will deliver growth. It expands to share that OpenAI could look to invest in and support AI Growth Zones, first announced in the AI Opportunities Action Plan which has since been backed by GBP 2B in the Spending Review.

ARTIFICIAL GENERAL INTELLIGENCE: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman has been in the forefront of AI technology, yet has a longer timeline for artificial general intelligence, AGI, than some others in the industry, Tim Higgins of The Wall Street Journal reports. When asked if he was skeptical that artificial general intelligence was near, Suleyman responded “I don’t think I’m skeptical that it’s arriving anytime soon… Soon to me is sometime in the next 10 years.”

$300M PACKAGES: Meta (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has offered more than OpenAI researchers packages of $300M over four years, and asked OpenAI’s Mark Chen if he would consider joining Meta, The Wall Street Journal’s Berber Jin, Keach Hagey, and Ben Cohen report.

EU’S AI CODE: Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer Meta won’t sign EU’s AI code of practice, calling its guidelines overreach that will throttle development and deployment of AI models in Europe. In a post on LinkedIn, Kaplan said, “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI. We have carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models and Meta won’t be signing it. This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act. Businesses and policymakers across Europe have spoken out against this regulation. Earlier this month, 44 of Europe’s largest businesses – including Bosch, Siemens, SAP, Airbus and BNP – signed a letter calling for the Commission to ‘Stop the Clock’ in its implementation. We share concerns raised by these businesses that this over-reach will throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, and stunt European companies looking to build businesses on top of them.”