“We are excited to establish London as a major research hub for OpenAI, building on the leading work our London team is already doing to support our latest breakthroughs,” said Mark Chen (pictured), OpenAI’s chief research officer, “the UK brings together world class talent and leading scientific institutions and universities, making it an ideal place to deliver the important research which will ensure our AI is safe, useful and benefits everyone.”
OpenAI’s London office was set up in 2023 and was its first outside the US. It employs about 30 people. It has set up thecSEM AI Accelerator programme in the UK to help SMEs adopt and use AI in their businesses.
The aim is to train around 20,000 SMEs across six European countries in practical AI skills.
UK Tech secretary Liz Kendall described Chen’s announcement yesterday as a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK, giving it a “world-leading position at the cutting edge of AI research.”
She said: “It also reaffirms the UK’s global leadership as the place to pursue AI innovation that is both safe and transformative. AI is already offering us better ways to treat disease, tailored support in classrooms, and new ways of harnessing clean affordable energy.”
