The Alan Turing Institute

Can AI transform UK weather prediction? That was our question when we embarked in 2023 on a partnership with the Met Office to develop the next generation of forecasting systems. Since then, we have jointly developed a data-driven, AI-based weather prediction model – called FastNet – that can create more accurate forecasts than current systems in a fraction of the time.

People move for work, study, protection, healthcare and trade, and they need reliable ways to prove who they are without repeatedly submitting the same documents. Cross-border digital services therefore depend on identity systems that can be trusted beyond the jurisdiction in which they were built. Yet digital identity systems remain largely national.

I am currently working within Project Bluebird, which is a partnership with the University of Exeter and NATS, developing the world's first AI system for air traffic control (ATC) and a digital twin of the UK’s airspace.

The question of how the UK secures the AI systems, talent and infrastructure it needs has been debated for some time, but recent events have brought that debate into sharper focus, after a US export control directive led to the suspension of access to some of Anthropic’s most powerful models. Most notably these developments made a concern that was previously abstract much more real; that our access to AI models developed overseas can’t be guaranteed.

In January the start of the “Open Source AI” Fellowship was announced. Delivered by the Turing and funded by Meta, researchers are seconded into the Incubator for AI (i.AI), which sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and technology (DSIT), and work with various government departments to develop cutting-edge AI solutions to address some of the biggest challenges to public services. Angus Williams is a Turing researcher and Open Source AI Fellow.

In March, the Project Bluebird team convened a two-day workshop at the Turing office, bringing together regulators, air traffic controllers, AI researchers and developers from across the UK, Europe and the USA, to explore the question of how to build confidence in the use of AI for air traffic control.

How will you be selected for a Data Study Group? Applications to participate in a Data Study Group are managed through the Data Study Group participant pool. You may apply to join the participant pool at any time by completing the online application form. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and successful applicants will be invited to join the pool. You will receive notification about the outcome of your application within one month.

The Turing is set to mentor three students in open source software development as part of this year’s Google Summer of Code. Google Summer of Code, an initiative sponsored by Google, is a global online programme that matches up beginner open-source contributors with experienced mentors to work on real-world software projects. Now in its 21st year, the programme spans 123 countries and includes more than 1,000 participating organisations worldwide.

Research programmes Defence Artificial Intelligence Research (DARe) The Defence AI Research Centre (DARe) provides strategic advantage for UK Defence and National Security; closely partnering with government, industry and academia to support innovation-driven transformation of UK and Allied capabilities, through targeted development of novel, cutting-edge AI technologies. Defence Artificial Intelligence Research (DARe)

Digital Public Infrastructure, including foundational systems such as digital identity, payments, data exchange, registries, and public-service platforms, has emerged not merely as a technical undertaking, but as a critical site of contestation over sovereignty, governance, rights, resilience, and public trust. The rapid adoption of AI intensifies these questions.