UK government signs MoU with Open AI amid calls for greater transparency

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced that the UK government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OpenAI as part of its efforts to boost artificial intelligence (AI) investment and integrate the technology into public services. This "strategic partnership" commits OpenAI to consider potential investments in UK AI infrastructure and hiring additional staff, although specific spending details were not provided. In return, the UK government will explore adopting OpenAI's AI technologies across various areas, including justice, defence, security, and education, potentially leading to the personal data of millions of British residents being processed by the company.

The partnership aligns with the UK's goal to boost AI adoption and computing infrastructure, despite a significant funding gap compared to AI superpowers like the US and China. 

However, The Guardian reports that Chi Onwurah, the chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology, warned that the MoU was "very thin on detail" and called for guarantees that public data would remain in the UK and clarity about how much of it OpenAI would have access to.

Onwurah said: "We want assurance that there will be transparency over what public data OpenAI will have access to for training and that it will remain in the UK and within the UK's data protection framework and legislation.

"It's important for public trust that the government is more transparent about how this relationship will work. The public is certainly not convinced that the tech giants are on their side or that AI is on their side. They need to have confidence that the government is on their side."