目前,AI 已经在许多领域取得了重大进展和效率提升。它悄然自动化了我们日常生活的诸多方面,例如优化交通监测系统使通勤更顺畅,检测银行账户中的欺诈行为。在工业领域,AI 已经彻底改变了大规模安全关键实践,如控制核聚变过程,还被用于加速科学进步,如发现新药或开发应对气候变化的技术。
但这仅仅是开始,AI 在各种场景中都有巨大的应用潜力,有可能像电力或互联网一样对社会和经济产生重大影响,并已被列为英国科技框架中的五项关键技术之一。大型语言模型等技术进步预示着未来更多的变革性发展。
然而,随着 AI 研究和开发的快速推进,其带来的风险也引起了更多关注。例如,生成式 AI 模型能力的近期发展带来了新的机遇,同时也引发了关于潜在风险的新辩论。一些 AI 风险可能是无意产生的后果,或者是由于缺乏适当的控制以确保负责任地使用 AI 而出现。对 AI 特定风险的初步评估确定了一系列高级风险,需要通过适当的干预措施来优先处理和减轻。
1.19.AI is already delivering major advances and efficiencies in many areas.AI quietly automates aspects of our everyday activities,from systems that monitor traffic to make our commutes smoother,17 to those that detect fraud in our bank accounts.18 AI has revolutionised large-scale safety-critical practices in industry,like controlling the process of nuclear fusion.19 And it has also been used to accelerate scientific advancements,such as the discovery of new medicine20 or the technologies we need to tackle climate change.212.20.But this is just the beginning.AI can be used in a huge variety of settings and has the extraordinary potential to transform our society and economy.22 It could have as much impact as electricity or the internet,and has been identified as one of five critical technologies in the UK Science and Technology Framework.23 As AI becomes more powerful,and as innovators explore new ways to use it,we will see more applications of AI emerge.As a result,AI has a huge potential to drive growth24 and create jobs.25 It will support people to carry out their existing jobs,by helping to improve workforce efficiency and workplace safety.26 To remain world leaders in AI,attract global talent and create high-skilled jobs in the UK,we must create a regulatory environment where such innovation can thrive.3.21.Technological advances like large language models(LLMs)are an indication of the transformative developments yet to come.27 LLMs provide substantial opportunities to transform the economy and society.For example,LLMs can automate the process of writing code and17 Transport apps like Google Maps,and CityMapper,use AI.18 Artificial Intelligence in Banking Industry:A Review on Fraud Detection,Credit Management,and Document Processing,ResearchBerg Review of Science and Technology,2018.19 Accelerating fusion science through learned plasma control,Deepmind,2022;Magnetic control of tokamak plasmas through deep reinforcement learning,Degrave et al.,2022.20
1.22.The concept of AI is not new,but recent advances in data generation and processing have changed the field and the technology it produces.For example,while recent developments in the capabilities of generative AI models have created exciting opportunities,they have also sparked new debates about potential AI risks.39 As AI research and development continues at pace and scale,we expect to see even greater impact and public awareness of AI risks.402.23.We know that not all AI risks arise from the deliberate action of bad actors.Some AI risks can emerge as an unintended consequence or from a lack of appropriate controls to ensure responsible AI use.413.24.We have made an initial assessment of AI-specific risks and their potential to cause harm,with reference in our analysis to the values that they threaten if left unaddressed.These values include safety,security,fairness,privacy and agency,human rights,societal well-being and prosperity.4.25.Our assessment of cross-cutting AI risk identified a range of high-level risks that our framework will seek to prioritise and mitigate with proportionate interventions.For example,safety risks include physical damage to humans and property,as well as damage to mental health.42 AI38 Intelligent security tools,National Cyber Security Centre,2019.39 What is generative AI,and why is it suddenly everywhere?,Vox,2023.40 See,for example,The Benefits and Harms of Algorithms,The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum,2022;Harms of AI,Acemoglu,2021.41 AI Accidents:An Emerging Threat,Center for Security and Emerging Technology,2021.42 AI for radiographic COVID-19 detection selects shortcuts over signal,DeGrave,Janizek and Lee,2021;Pathways:How digital design puts children at risk,5Rights Foundation,2021.11
I believe that a comArtificial intelligence(AI)will play a central part in delivering and enabling these goals,and this white paper will ensure we are putting the UK on course to be the best place in the world to build,test and use AI technology.But we are not starting from zero.Having invested over£2.5 billion in AI since 2014,this paper builds on our recent announcements of£110 million for our AI Tech Missions Fund,£900 million to establish a new AI Research Resource and to develop an exascale supercomputer capable of running large AI models–backed up by our new£8 million AI Global Talent Network and£117 million of existing funding to create hundreds of new PhDs for AI researchers.Most of us are only now beginning to understand the transformative potential of AI as the technology rapidly improves.But in many ways,AI is already delivering fantastic social and economic benefits for real people–from improving NHS medical care to making transport safer.Recent advances in things like generative AI give us a glimpse into the enormous opportunities that await us in the near future if we are prepared to lead the world in the AI sector with our values of transparency,accountability and innovation.My vision for an AI-enabled country is one where our NHS heroes are able to save lives using AI technologies that were unimaginable just a few decades ago.I want our police,transport networks and climate scientists and many more to be empowered by AI technologies that will make the UK the smartest,healthiest,safest and happiest place to live and work.That is why AI is one of this government’s five technologies of tomorrow bringing stronger growth,better jobs,and bold new discoveries.It is a vision that has been shaped by stakeholders and experts in AI,whose expertise and ideas I am determined to see reflected in our department.