“It has made me think of ethical issues; AI is not just a technological innovation but it is about the people, services, and data that sits behind it,” a British civil servant said.
ADVERTISEMENTThe global learning platform and artificial intelligence (AI) training ground for civil servants, Apolitical, received a $5 million (€4.6 million) grant from Google.org to scale up its Government AI Campus program.
The government AI Campus is a learning hub that trains public servants to govern and implement generative AI into their tasks with knowledge about the risks of the technology. In its pilot phase, it had already given its training to 13,000 civil servants.
The AI Campus announced on Tuesday now aims to reach one million government workers over the next two years, the not-for-profit organisation said.
The funding will expand the AI Campus through five new courses, convenings and briefings for senior decision-makers, a thought leadership series, and new tools and frameworks for government decision-makers.
Some 60 per cent of public servants are already using generative AI in their work, said Apolitical’s CEO and co-founder Robyn Scott, who cited his company’s data. But she said only 35 per cent have received guidance and 15 per cent have received training.
“We’re excited to provide world-class training and resources to close this gap,” she said in a statement.
“This funding will support a critical levelling up of governments to succeed and lead in the age of AI”.
Apolitical said it is partnering with governments in key regions to support the adaptation of the AI Campus content to different country contexts. This includes translation into ten languages, developing country-specific case studies, and drawing on local and regional AI experts.
“The AI Campus has taught me that I have a healthy balance of being excited but mindful and cautious about AI and its potential harms,” said Murat Soncul, head of privacy at the Central Digital and Data Office, at the cabinet office in the UK, who took part in the training.
“It has made me think of ethical issues; AI is not just a technological innovation but it is about the people, services, and data that sits behind it”.
