The UK Government’s AI Safety Branch to Establish First US Hub in San Francisco

The United Kingdom’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) is making a bold move by opening a San Francisco office, signaling the city’s rise as a global AI hub. The facility, set to launch this summer, will be the first U.S. center for AISI, which was established last year by the British government to oversee AI technologies and explore the risks and potential of AI on a global scale.

According to U.K. Technology Minister Michelle Donelan, the San Francisco office will allow the UK to tap into the tech talent pool in the Bay Area and collaborate with the world’s largest AI labs in both London and San Francisco. The organization plans to recruit research executives for the new office, mirroring its operations in London where it currently has a team of 30 led by tech entrepreneur Ian Hogarth.

San Francisco has become a hotbed for AI companies, with nearly half of such companies in the U.S. calling the city home. The city’s access to a talent pool and major AI research institutions has attracted numerous AI companies, with 25% of office leases in San Francisco last year being taken up by AI firms.

Notable AI leases in the city include OpenAI subleasing over 400,000 square feet of Uber’s former headquarters and Anthropic taking over Snap’s former headquarters in a deal totaling 247,000 square feet. Both companies have agreed to collaborate with the British government to advance AI research.

The establishment of AISI’s San Francisco office comes at a crucial time as governments worldwide face pressure to regulate the fast-growing AI industry. With San Francisco’s emergence as a leading AI hub, the city is poised to play a key role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.