Jakob Mökander

Succeeding in this quest for sovereignty, security & scale requires urgent policy action:

1) Create a clean, robust energy system for the AI era

2) Reform planning systems to make it easier to build

3) Use AI growth zones to overcome market failures

4) Align incentives between UK gov departments

Talk about sovereign AI is often unclear what it means for data, models and compute

The UK doesn’t need to build everything, but it must build enough infrastructure to deploy AI where it matters, to ensure resilience, and to anchor a domestic ecosystem that delivers for the public and the economy

Sovereignty, Security, Scale: A UK Strategy for AI Infrastructure Sovereignty, Security, Scale: A UK Strategy for AI Infrastructure

What should the UK's AI infrastructure strategy be?

A new report by the Tony Blair Institute argues that the UK needs to quickly build diverse and resilient AI infrastructure for safe and competitive deployment across the economy

bit.ly/3Uypoi0

Key findings 🧵

Greening AI: A Policy Agenda for the Artificial Intelligence and Energy Revolutions Greening AI: A Policy Agenda for the Artificial Intelligence and Energy Revolutions

The climate transition and AI revolution are intrinsically linked. To succeed in one we need to succeed in both

institute.global/insights/cli...

The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change

We live in the climate paradox. Awareness of the crisis has never been higher but meaningful action is in decline

institute.global/insights/cli...

Great conversation on #AI and #sustainability at @politico.eu tech summit earlier this week

Key takes:
✅ Let’s shift from apathy to action
✅ Tech is part of green solutions
✅ European leadership is needed

Read more about Tony Blair Institute’s work on climate & energy led by Lindy Fursman in 🧵

The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change

We live in a climate paradox: awareness of the climate crisis has never been higher, yet political will and action is in decline. How do we solve this?

The Tony Blair Institute outlines a bold yet pragmatic approach - based on innovation, adaptation and international collaboration

bit.ly/4jhJZBY

Panel 4: Using AI to Enhance Democracy is our last panel of the day and will start at 3:40pm ET. Don't miss it.
Panelists: @hahrie.bsky.social, @lukethorburn.com, Spencer Overton, and MH Tessler.
Moderator: @jakobmokander.bsky.social.
#AIDemocraticFreedoms

This Thursday 4/10 & Friday 4/11, we're hosting our symposium "AI and Democratic Freedoms." Thrilled to have @hahrie.bsky.social, @lukethorburn.com, Spencer Overton, MH Tessler & moderator @jakobmokander.bsky.social on our fourth panel. #AIDemocraticFreedoms RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/artificial...

How can the UK accelerate AI adoption to boost growth and competitiveness?

Gov is preparing recs. as part of the Technology Adoption Review

Delighted to co-host this dynamic roundtable with business leaders & academic experts, chaired by Angela McLean, UK’s National Chief Scientific Advisor

Huge thanks all experts who have contributed w/ input and feedback!

@rory.bio @areeq.bsky.social @leecronin.bsky.social @erika-alden.bsky.social @econormist.bsky.social @saakohl.bsky.social @mariokrenn.bsky.social @stianwestlake.bsky.social @harrisbio.bsky.social @richardaljones.bsky.social

11/11

Second, at the heart of science is a quest to find patterns in nature and use those to improve the human condition. AI-driven science is science supercharging itself. This means that the normal limitations of – reproducibility, validity, ethics – will not be ‘solved’ by AI

10/11

Two final reflections:

First, ‘AI’ should be understood broadly. Focusing narrowly on LLM-adoption would be shortsighted. Key to success is equipping scientists with the skills and resources to continuously adapt their research methods amid rapid technological change

9/11

5) Remake the institutions of UK science

AI-driven research must be well-funded and well-integrated. Achieving this requires reforming UKRI’s AI strategy and coordinating funding efforts across the R&D ecosystem

8/11

4) Invest in AI research infrastructure

AI-driven research relies on data centres and other physical assets. The government should provide researcher with access to compute capacity and automated laboratories in AI growth zones

7/11

6) Secure UK’s AI talent pipeline

People are at the heart of thriving research ecosystems. The government should reduce visa barriers for AI researchers, build non-academic research entities, and improve cross sector mobility

6/11

2) Develop software tools for AI

Software tools are vital for operationalizing AI within research workflows. The government should incentivise tool building, create career pathways for tool builders, and link funding to tool sharing

5/11

1) Build AI-ready scientific data

AI-driven discovery depends on the accessibility of high-quality scientific data. The government should create training data sets and digitise uncollected scientific data

4/11

The UK has shown clear political commitment to this vision

The AI Opportunities Action Plan (led by Matt Clifford) makes direct references to AI for science

To implement this agenda, the government need bold policy interventions across data, tools, talent, infrastructure and funding:

3/11

AI promises to revolutionize how we uncover and use new knowledge

Taking advantage of AI’s potential will be essential, not just for achieving scientific leadership but also economic growth and national security

2/11

How can the UK become a leader in AI-driven scientific research?

New report by the Tony Blair Institute outlines policy recommendations across 5 key areas

institute.global/insights/tec...

W/ co-authors @lyan82.bsky.social @guywj.bsky.social @ersatzben.bsky.social @gregdetre.bsky.social

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2) Framing innovation and regulation as opposed forces presents a false dichotomy. The absence of robust AI governance will leave a vacuum, inevitably to be filled by a patchwork of reactive local measures and create just the innovation-stifling environment light touch regulation seeks to avoid

4/4

Capturing AI’s benefits will require two concessions:

1) Regulatory fragmentation is bad not only for security but also for business, trade and prosperity. While calls for multilateral cooperation are well-founded, they must be underpinned by concrete reciprocal commitments, incl. transparency

3/4

The question political leaders face is not how to ”regulate AI” but how to “govern well in the age of AI”

This requires bold visions, infrastructure investments & good governance to enable AI uptake

Panel w/ HE Josephine Teo, HE Paula Inngabire, Matt Clifford and Teresa Carlson

2/4

Cross-sectoral dialogue on AI is rare

Last week in Paris, the Tony Blair Institute convened 200 global leaders to explore how AI can be harnessed for economic growth & social progress

Thanks @yoshuabengio.bsky.social, @alondra.bsky.social & Fu Ying for insights + lively debate on AI safety

🧵 1/4

A free and frank discussion of open source models in an excellent panel Advancing the Science of AI Safety at the Tony Blair Institute event in Paris w/ @alondra.bsky.social @yoshuabengio.bsky.social @jakobmokander.bsky.social and Prof Fu Ying

Credit to the TBI author team lead by Bridget Boakye and collaborators Rachel Adams, Filipe Medon and Ray Eitel-Porter

Also, huge thanks to all who have provided input and feedback throughout the process – from academic experts to industry practitioners and policymakers!

4/4

Beyond policy recommendations, the paper provides a benchmarking of existing efforts to regulate AI

While useful, this is a simplification. Most AI regulations combine technology & sector-specific elements; centralized & decentralized controls; and procedural & substantive requirements

3/4

Unlocking AI’s social benefits means accelerating adoption while mitigating risks. But the policy challenges different countries face vary greatly

As political leaders gather in Paris for the AI Action Summit, the AI policy debate must look beyond its current focus on China and the west

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