Gen AI Hub launches at the Crick
Hub Director Professor David Barber welcomes attendees to the launch of the Gen AI Hub
Scientists and industry came together this week to celebrate the launch of the AI Hub in Generative Models (Gen AI) at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
More than 200 participants attended the launch event to see presentations from Hub researchers and view a poster exhibition featuring the ideas of up-and-coming AI researchers.
Hub Director, Professor David Barber, introduced the Hub’s mission and invited attendees to collaborate with investigators as they develop the next generation of generative AI models.
The event featured contributions from Hub researchers who introduced its seven working groups and the activities they are planning. In his presentation on Generative AI for Biology, Professor Magnus Rattray, from the University of Manchester revealed plans for a workshop in May with confirmed speakers from hub partner universities, the Sanger Institute and AstraZeneca.
Professor Magnus Rattray outlining the Gen Biology hub and forthcoming collaboration opportunities
Professor Aldo Faisal, of Imperial College London and co-lead of the Hub’s Healthcare Working Group, chose the event to announce the 'Nightingale AI' initiative. This will create a generative AI and foundation model from the vast resources of UK healthcare and biomedical data already in the local ecosystem.
With Hub researchers having launched companies worth $1bn between them, as Professor Barber revealed in his welcome, enterprise and commercialisation was a prominent theme during the day. A panel discussion on the Future of AI featuring participants from Open AI, the University of Cambridge and UCL, included discussion on the prospects for AI enterprise in the UK.
Aleksandar Botev, Professor Lourdes de Agapito Vicente and Professor Nic Lane taking part in a panel discussion on the future of Generative AI
During the panel, UCL’s Professor Lourdes de Agapito Vicente, co-founder of the startup Synthesia, shared some observations of the changing AI enterprise landscape in the UK. “Companies in the past had to sell up when they reach a certain stage,” she said. “I am now seeing examples of companies who haven't had to do that.”
The final presentation was a demonstration of the UK government’s use of AI by i.AI’s Victoria Bew and Alexander De Ville. They described AI tools that have been developed including Parlex, which forecasts reactions to policies based on parliamentary records, and Caddy, an AI powered co-pilot providing expert advice to call handlers.
Bew explained the enthusiasm of Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary of State, Peter Kyle, for projects that have a real impact on citizens, while De Ville encouraged attendees to get involved in i.AI’s work which has a GitHub for collaborations.
The AI hub in Generative Models, or Gen AI, consists of leading AI researchers from across the UK and more than 40 industry partners. It is one of nine Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded artificial intelligence research hubs that will deliver next-generation innovations and technologies.
The audience at the launch of the Gen AI Hub
The Hub is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and brings together partner universities from Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Imperial, Surrey and UCL. Its aim is to deliver impactful research projects and innovation in a way no single organisation could on its own.
Reflecting on the event, Professor Barber, said: “It was exciting to see at the launch this week that so many people share our enthusiasm for Generative AI and its potential. This event was an invitation to those people to collaborate with us and we are looking forward to working with them on impactful projects.”
The event was sponsored by the International Council on Environmental Economics and Development.
