UK Government Yet to Trial OpenAI Tech Months After High-Profile Partnership
When the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI, the technology firm behind ChatGPT, the partnership was hailed as a groundbreaking initiative that would harness artificial intelligence to "address society's greatest challenges." However, eight months after the fanfare of that announcement, the government has yet to hold any trials involving the company's technology, according to a freedom of information request.
Freedom of Information Request Reveals Lack of Trials
A freedom of information request submitted to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology asked for information about trials conducted under the memorandum, which stated that OpenAI would work with civil servants to "identify opportunities for how advanced AI models can be deployed throughout government and the private sector." The department replied that it held none of this information and had "not undertaken any trials under the memorandum of understanding with OpenAI."
In response to queries, DSIT pointed to an agreement under which the Ministry of Justice enabled civil servants to use ChatGPT last October, with an option for UK-based data storage. Tarek Nseir, CEO of the AI consultancy Valliance, which filed the FoI, criticized this limited deployment, stating, "Rolling out ChatGPT in a department hardly reflects the ambition of the MoU." He added, "We use PowerPoint – that doesn't mean we have a strategic relationship with Microsoft. If this was the intent of the MoU then our government is not taking the impact of AI on our economy seriously."
Progress and Challenges in AI Deployment
DSIT also highlighted ongoing work with the UK AI Safety Institute to test AI models and develop safeguards in collaboration with OpenAI, as well as efforts with Nvidia and Nscale to deploy GPUs for Stargate UK, aiming to strengthen the UK's AI capabilities. However, apart from the ChatGPT deployment in the MoJ, none of these initiatives appear to amount to deploying advanced AI models throughout the government as initially described.
OpenAI responded that the scope of the FoI did not capture the full scale of its activities in the UK and expressed pride in the progress made on the memorandum. A Guardian investigation found that Nscale, which promised to build the UK's largest supercomputer by the end of 2026, will likely not complete the project on time and has publicly misrepresented its progress. Nscale is also collaborating with OpenAI on Stargate UK, an initiative to potentially deploy 8,000 Nvidia chips across the UK, though the press release was noncommittal.
Concerns Over Transparency and Public Benefit
Matt Davies, economic and social policy lead at the Ada Lovelace Institute, commented, "AI could transform how people interact with public services, but government experimentation with these technologies must be open and transparent. Voluntary partnerships with big AI companies don't follow the usual procurement rules, raising real questions about accountability and scrutiny." He noted that the memorandum lacks clear metrics for progress or public benefit, and risks of dependency on a single company's products are not addressed.
Public concern is high, with 84% of respondents in polling by the Ada Lovelace Institute expressing worry that the government prioritizes the AI sector's interests over public protection. Davies emphasized, "The government needs a positive vision for how AI can genuinely improve people's lives; just aiming at 'more AI' isn't good enough."
Broader AI Agreements and Future Plans
The government has also signed similar agreements with Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Nvidia. The Guardian understands that the Google memorandum, concluded in December, is in early planning stages. Anthropic is planning to build an AI assistant to help navigate government services and is working with the UK AI Safety Institute on safety research. Nvidia did not respond to requests for comment.
This situation highlights the gap between high-profile announcements and tangible implementation in the UK's AI strategy, raising questions about the effectiveness and transparency of government partnerships with major technology firms.
