OpenAI and Microsoft Join UK’s AI Alignment Coalition

OpenAI and Microsoft have joined the UK’s international coalition to advance safe AI development, announced in a press release by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The two companies have pledged new funding to the AI Security Institute’s Alignment Project, an initiative focused on ensuring advanced AI systems act safely and as intended.

The contribution includes £5.6 million from OpenAI, with additional support from Microsoft and other partners. Combined, the project now has over £27 million available to fund 60 research projects across eight countries. The first grants have been awarded, with a second round scheduled for later this year.

The Alignment Project, led by the UK’s AI Security Institute, provides grants, access to computing infrastructure, and mentorship to researchers. It is supported by an international coalition that includes Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and others. The initiative aims to improve the controllability and reliability of increasingly capable AI systems.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the partnership strengthens the UK’s efforts to embed safety into AI technology from the outset. The project is overseen by an advisory board featuring leading researchers such as Yoshua Bengio, Zico Kolter, Shafi Goldwasser, and Andrea Lincoln.