The report made findings of some potentially discriminatory results made by the artificial intelligence.
The UK government officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) and complex algorithms to help make various decisions including those related to welfare, benefits, and approval of marriage licenses, a report by the Guardian said. According to the report, civil servants in at least eight government departments are using AI in one way or another, and some in an “uncontrolled manner”.
The report made findings of some potentially discriminatory results made by the AI such as - an algorithm used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which an MP believes mistakenly led to dozens of people having their benefits removed, or a facial recognition tool used by the Metropolitan police has been found to make more mistakes recognising black faces than white ones under certain settings.
Another discriminatory finding reportedly shows an algorithm used by the Home Office to flag up fake marriages has been disproportionately selecting people of certain nationalities.
This comes ahead of the AI Safety Summit (UK AISS) - where global leaders will come together to deliberate on strategies for addressing potential misuse and loss of control risks associated with AI. Around 100 people from 28 nations are expected to attend the summit - which will feature companies and industry experts on November 1 and 2, hosted by Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan.
Sunak pitches Britain as future home for AI regulation
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday pitched for his country to be the future global home for AI regulation. Speaking at the London Tech Week conference, Sunak said, “The possibilities (of AI) are extraordinary. But we must – and we will – do it safely…I want to make the UK not just the intellectual home, but the geographical home of global AI safety regulation.”
He added that the tech sector was at the “heart of his priority” to grow the economy.
Earlier in May, Sunak had met with the leading CEOs in artificial intelligence - OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, to discuss joint action to ensure the development of safe and responsible AI and ways to establish the right approach to governance for the next technological frontier. During the meeting, Sunak made it clear that AI is the “defining technology of our time”.