The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) will lead a newly announced Centre for AI Measurement, a new project under the government’s AI Assurance Innovation Fund, designed to accelerate the development of secure, transparent and trustworthy AI.
The centre will focus on creating science-based methods to assess AI performance and reliability in the emerging field of AI assurance. The new facility will provide a collaborative platform for research and innovation, supporting industry, start-ups and academia in developing and piloting technical assurance tools that can move quickly from prototype to market.
As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL has already been instrumental in establishing confidence in AI technologies. The establishment of the new centre builds on NPL’s leading role in developing internationally recognised measurement frameworks.
NPL is also a founding partner of the AI Standards Hub, a joint initiative to guide the development of global AI standards. The upcoming AI Standards Hub Global Summit (16–17 March, Glasgow) will explore how measurement science and assurance frameworks can strengthen confidence in AI across sectors.
“Through the creation of the Centre for AI Measurement, we aim to strengthen the UK’s leadership in developing and adopting secure and trustworthy AI,” said Dr Peter Thompson, CBE, CEO of NPL. “As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL will work with industry to develop and validate scientifically robust, technical assurance capabilities – establishing the centre as a national resource supporting economic growth and national security.”
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said that the centre will play a key role in delivering the AI Opportunities Action Plan: “Robust, trusted tools for assessing the safety and effectiveness of emerging AI systems are essential for businesses to deploy them with confidence,” he said, “By uniting industry, start-ups and researchers, the centre will help organisations identify and mitigate risks early – while helping keep the UK at the forefront of AI innovation.”
NPL and its partners aim to position the UK as a global leader in safe and trustworthy AI adoption.
