The UK’s National Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science has launched a consultation process that could lead to redundancies among its 440 staff.
In a memorandum sent to staff this month Alan Turing Institute has given an update on its new strategy, which will see it focus on fewer projects.
It is addressed to “affected employees” and it states the government-aided institute “may need to consider making layoffs”. According to informal calculations by staff, the memo could have been sent to as many as 140 people.
The internal document said the institute – which conducts research with universities, the private sector and government entities – is working on 111 direct projects and should “move away from involvement in large numbers of individual projects”.
Last year, the institute unveiled a new strategy called “Turing 2.0” in which it will focus on three key areas: health, the environment and defense and security. However, the organization said there is now “less core funding than was assumed when the strategy was written”.
It said the institute had examined which of the 111 projects were “strategically aligned” with the Turing 2.0 drive and launched a process that could involve spinning off or closing the projects.
“Unfortunately, this means we may have to consider layoffs,” the memo said.
It said it would explore ways to avoid compulsory redundancies and hold elections of employee representatives in discussions. The consultation process with employees is expected to end in February next year.
The institute’s chief executive, Dr Jean Innes, told the Guardian: “The Turing’s aim is to make great leaps in the development and use of data science and AI to change the world for the better and in line with this we are shaping ‘ an ambitious new phase for the institute as we seek to use these technologies to tackle some of the biggest issues facing society.”
The institute, named after the British mathematician widely regarded as the father of modern computing, was established as a national data science institute in 2015 before AI was added to its remit in 2017.
Its goals include promoting “world-class research and applying it to national and global challenges,” as well as driving an “informed public conversation” about AI. Its five founding universities were Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, UCL and Warwick.
The possibility of job cuts at the institute comes as the government prepares to make two key announcements about the technology.
It is preparing to launch an “AI Action Plan” under the tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford which will look at how AI can spur economic growth and improve public services.
It will also release a consultation on an AI bill that will reportedly focus on making a voluntary AI model testing agreement between the UK government and tech companies legally binding, as well as creating the UK’s AI Safety Institute – an organization separate of the Turing. – a arm’s length government body.
