UK to allocate up to £100 million for AI-focused higher education

The UK government will allocate up to £100 million to support a nationwide programme focused on training the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) experts. The programme, which is a government-industry joint initiative, will include up to 200 new AI masters places at UK universities, funded by major companies such as Cisco and Deep Mind. In addition, 1000 PhD places will be created at 16 Research and Innovation AI Centres for Doctoral Training, spread around the country. The Alan Turing Institute will also create up to five AI research fellow positions, dedicated to attracting and retaining highly qualified AI researchers from around the world. The initiative is part of the UK Industrial Strategy’s AI Sector Deal, launched in April 2018.