UK artificial intelligence in science strategy published
The UK Government paper outlines a strategy to drive frontier capability and UK leadership.
It was announced by Kanishka Narayan MP Minister for AI and Online Safety in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; and Lord Vallance Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
There are two objectives for the artificial intelligence (AI) strategy:
- To develop frontier capability in AI-driven science - companies and researchers developing general-purpose AI science tools and building autonomous lab infrastructure are transforming the process of discovery.
- To ensure the UK retains its position of global scientific leadership - the integration of AI into science is going to reshape the national and global research landscape.
The paper says, “Investment and attention are being drawn to the idea that increasing the productivity of scientific research will be the most valuable application of AI. Science is being transformed at unprecedented pace.”
In the last three years the paper reports the leading edge of AI for science has moved from prediction to action.
The paper recognises, 'AI models are increasingly autonomous participants in the scientific process. In biology, AI models have gone from predicting the structures of known proteins to designing entirely new ones, helping scientists to accelerate research in nearly every field – from fighting malaria to potential new Parkinson’s treatments.'
The paper asserts, 'AI labs are now racing to build AI science agents capable of automating core parts of the scientific process. These systems can generate hypotheses, design experiments and conduct analysis without direct human input.”
The UK reportedly ranks 4th in the world for the quality of its AI research and 3rd in the world as a destination for elite AI researchers to work.
