Canada has partnered with an international coalition to fund a UK-based AI safety initiative, aiming for responsible AI development and rapid adoption. The Canadian government will invest $1 million in the UK AI Security Institute’s Alignment Project to research safe AI deployment. This funding will be provided through Canada’s AI safety body, the Canadian AI Safety Institute (CAISI), via the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).
Elissa Strome from CIFAR emphasized the urgency of ensuring AI is safe and beneficial, echoing the statement that AI safety is among humanity’s pressing challenges. The project has secured $29 million from international partners like Safe AI Fund and Amazon Web Services. It will support AI researchers with $1.8 million in grant funding, access to computing resources, and venture capital for commercial AI applications.
AI expert Yoshua Bengio, part of the advisory board for the project, has highlighted the risks of unchecked AI development, such as misinformation, public manipulation, environmental impacts, and privacy violations. Bengio, who co-authored an international AI safety report, recently established LawZero to create safety measures for AI agents.
Evan Solomon, Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, emphasized the importance of building reliable AI systems. Since May, Solomon has pushed AI adoption in Canada, labeling its growth as a “crisis moment” and supporting domestic AI projects. He aims to balance AI growth with appropriate regulation, though the previous government’s AI legislation, Bill C-27, was stalled.
Canada and the UK recently signed agreements with Cohere, a Canadian AI company, to enhance government operations and collaborate on AI research. In the UK, Cohere will focus on AI in government services and defense applications. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration continues Canada’s push for AI use in government, following earlier attempts to balance AI innovation and regulation.