The UK and France will strengthen their AI and data collaboration following an announcement from Digital Secretary Matt Hancock in Paris today outlining the new agreement
A new agreement will have the UK and France working more collaboratively to strengthen their respective AI and data capabilities, it will be announced today (5 July).
Digital Secretary Matt Hancock will visit Paris to announce a set of measures intended to enhance both countries’ digital economies and establish closer links between their tech companies.
Alongside his French counterpart, Mounir Mahjoubi, he will confirm the UK‘s centre for AI and data, the Alan Turing Institute, is signing the agreement with the French equivalent, DATAIA, at a landmark bilateral conference.
Mr Hancock said: “The UK is a digital dynamo, increasingly recognised across the world as a place where ingenuity and innovation can flourish.
“We are home to four in ten of Europe’s tech businesses worth more than £760m and London is the AI capital of Europe.
“France is also doing great work in this area, and these new partnerships show the strength and depth of our respective tech industries and are the first stage in us developing a closer working relationship.
“This will help us better serve our citizens and provide a boost for our digital economies.”
More collaborative AI and data contingencies
The UK-France Digital Colloque conference is a summit of more than 350 businesses, researchers and officials from both countries.
Key areas of collaboration include fairness and transparency in the design and implementation of algorithms.
Mr Hancock and Mr Majoubi will also sign an accord on digital government as part of a commitment to extending their cooperation in the digital sector – on innovation, AI, data and digital administration.
CEO of The Alan Turing Institute Alan Wilson said: “The fundamental goal behind all our research is to build a data and AI enriched world for the benefit of all.
“In order to do this, it is critical to forge international collaborations and share our knowledge, expertise and ideas with other research centres around the world.
“The Alan Turing Institute and DATAIA both share a vision for building research in data science and AI which crosses disciplinary boundaries and recognises the societal implications of data and algorithms.
“It is a pleasure to kickstart this engagement and we look forward to working with them to advance UK and French excellence in this area.”