World news story

SIN France plays a key role in the agreement of a UK-France MOU on Artificial Intelligence and Digital research

An impact story about how SIN France supported closer UK-France cooperation on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

UK-France MOU on Artificial Intelligence

In July 2018, the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) visited Paris for the Digital Colloque, a key commitment from the January 2018 UK-France Summit. This event included the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Alan Turing Institute and DATAIA, two leading AI research institutes in each country.

SIN France was instrumental in delivering this agreement that will see the Turing and DATAIA pursue collaborative research in areas of shared interest such as the effects of AI on society, its ethical implications and the transparency in the design and implementation of algorithms. The two institutes will work together to share knowledge and expertise, enabling researchers to spend time at each Institute, hosting joint workshops and funding calls.

Following the publication of the Industrial Strategy, which has AI/Big Data as one of its four Grand Challenges, SIN France organised a UK-France bilateral AI conference in February 2018. The conference, which approximately 120 people attended, took place in the Ambassadors’ residence in Paris. It provided a platform for discussions between UK and French government and policymakers as well as AI experts from academia, industry and the non-profit sector. It was a very good opportunity to promote UK excellence and expertise in AI and provide the first steps towards collaborative working between the UK and France.

During the conference, everyone agreed that the development of AI relied on closer international collaboration. Following this successful event, SIN France facilitated the agreement between the Turing, the national research institute for AI, and DATAIA, a French research institute dedicated to data science, artificial intelligence and society.

The Prime Minister and President Macron agreed at the January 2018 UK-France Summit that the two countries would deepen their cooperation in science and research as part of a wider programme to maximise the economic and social benefits of digital innovation. SIN France played a central role in preparing and delivering the Summit. The Turing-DATAIA agreement is part of a broader SIN France effort on AI, which should lead to further collaboration in this area.

Louisa Zanoun, Senior Science & Innovation Officer British Embassy, Paris louisa.zanoun@fco.gov.uk

Published 27 September 2018