The UK government has announced that OpenAI and Microsoft have joined its international coalition for the safeguarding of AI development.

The technology companies will join the AI Security Institute’s (AISI) Alignment Project, an international scheme designed to steer advanced AI systems to act reliably without unintentional or harmful behaviours.

The project will receive around £27 million in funding, £5.6 million of which will be provided by OpenAI. Microsoft has also pledged an undisclosed amount.

The government said the project involves developing methods that prevent unsafe behaviours as AI systems become more capable, adding that progress on alignment is something that will boost confidence and trust in AI, ultimately supporting the adoption of systems.

Without continued progress in alignment research, the government said increasingly powerful AI models could act in ways that are difficult to anticipate or control, posing challenges for global safety and governance.

Other members of the coalition include the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

"We can only unlock the full power of AI if people trust it – that’s the mission driving all of us,” said UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan. “We can only unlock the full power of AI if people trust it – that’s the mission driving all of us.

“Trust is one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption, and alignment research tackles this head-on.”

---