Summary:
Le 15 octobre 2024, l’Institut de Sécurité de l’IA (AISI), en collaboration avec UKRI, a annoncé le lancement du programme de subventions pour la sécurité systémique de l’IA avec un financement allant jusqu’à 200 000 £ pour les chercheurs éligibles. L’initiative vise à traiter et à atténuer les risques sociétaux associés au déploiement des technologies de l’IA afin de favoriser la confiance du public et d’assurer une innovation responsable. Les points clés comprennent l’accent mis par le programme sur la sécurité systémique de l’IA, en particulier l’évaluation des risques dans des secteurs tels que l’éducation, la santé et la finance, l’évaluation des interactions entre les systèmes d’IA, et la proposition de mécanismes de protection et de gouvernance. La première phase du programme vise à développer une compréhension initiale des risques, à construire une communauté de recherche et à identifier des atténuations efficaces. Les développements futurs incluent l’appel continu à des propositions de recherche durant la phase 1, avec d’autres phases prévues en fonction des résultats initiaux pour approfondir le spectre de la recherche et de l’application en matière de sécurité systémique de l’IA.
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The AI Safety Institute (AISI) has launched a new funding opportunity aimed at fostering research in systemic AI safety, focusing on understanding and mitigating the societal risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence. Systemic AI safety goes beyond addressing the capabilities of individual AI models, delving into broader risks associated with deployment across sectors such as healthcare, education, and finance. With up to £200,000 available per project, the grants are open to researchers in academia, industry, and civil society, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches.
**Legal Context**
The announcement coincides with the UK government’s evolving regulatory framework designed to govern the development of powerful AI models. Recently, policymakers signaled their intent to introduce targeted legislation for high-risk AI systems. This aligns with global regulatory trends, such as the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, which seeks to mandate risk assessment and mitigation for specific AI use cases. For systemic AI safety, the grants aim to fill gaps in the regulatory framework by understanding risks that current legislation may not yet adequately cover, such as the interconnected impacts of AI systems across critical infrastructure or labor markets.
**Ethical Analysis**
The ethical stakes in systemic AI safety are high. As AI models become more interconnected and autonomous, their deployment could exacerbate existing inequities or create new ethical dilemmas. For instance, in education, integrating frontier AI could enhance personalized learning but also risk undermining teacher authority or perpetuating biased educational resources if safeguards are insufficient. Similarly, systemic risks in healthcare could involve life-critical decision-making, where errors due to inadequate safeguards may prove catastrophic. Through this grants program, researchers have the opportunity to probe such ethical considerations and propose interventions that prioritize societal well-being over technological expedience.
**Industry Implications**
Systemic AI safety is set to play a pivotal role in shaping industry standards and best practices. With the rapid adoption of AI technologies across multiple sectors, understanding these risks is not merely academic—it is an economic imperative. For industries like finance, where AI is critical for fraud detection and risk management, systemic risks might include model interoperability issues or vulnerabilities exploited through cyberattacks. For example, systemic AI safety research could help financial institutions mitigate cascading effects from AI-triggered trading errors. By supporting this type of research, initiatives like AISI’s grants program help ensure that organizations can deploy AI responsibly without compromising operational resilience.
The grant application guidelines highlight priority areas, including the protection of critical infrastructure, misinformation mitigation, and governance frameworks for AI agents. Proposals are encouraged to offer actionable and innovative solutions. The inclusion of international researchers reflects the global relevance of AI safety, signaling that collaboration across borders will be essential for tackling systemic risks effectively.
**Conclusion**
The introduction of the Systemic AI Safety Grants program marks an important step in advancing responsible AI development. By funding research that addresses not just technical risks but also societal and systemic challenges, AISI underscores the importance of proactive measures in an era of rapid AI progress. These efforts could shape the policies, technologies, and ethical guidelines needed to ensure that AI innovations remain secure, equitable, and beneficial for all.