Oxford University to host new government-backed AI research lab
It aims to develop new technologies for healthcare, education, transport and research
The University of Oxford has been selected to host a major new artificial intelligence (AI) research lab as part of a £60 million government-backed scheme.
The British Open-ended Learning and Discovery Lab (BOLD) will be led by Associate Professor Jakob Foerster from Oxford's Department of Engineering Science and will bring together researchers from Oxford, University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the lab will focus on developing AI systems that are more efficient, open and centred around human needs.
Researchers aim to create AI technology that can be safely used in areas such as healthcare, education, transport and scientific research.
Rather than relying on increasingly large datasets and computing resources, BOLD will explore new ways of training AI that use less energy and are better suited to real-world applications.
Associate Professor Foerster said: "The UK cannot win the global AI race simply by trying to outspend the largest technology companies on data and computing power.
"BOLD is about discovering fundamentally new ways to build AI that are more efficient, more open and better aligned with human needs."
The project will also support the next generation of AI researchers, with £2 million set aside to recruit doctoral students.
In its first phase, the lab plans to appoint 12 fellows and 18 PhD students.
UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the new labs would help make AI "cheaper, more practical and easier to adopt" for businesses and public services across the country.