Ottawa plans major investment in LawZero to support AI safety

Ottawa has signed a letter of intent to provide substantial funding to LawZero, a nonprofit founded by Yoshua Bengio to develop technical defenses for powerful AI; a source said the amount under discussion is more than $100 million.

The federal government has signed a letter of intent to back LawZero, a nonprofit launched by AI researcher Yoshua Bengio to develop technical solutions for risks posed by powerful AI models. LawZero was founded last year with philanthropic seed funding and focuses on problems such as deception and cybersecurity in advanced systems. Federal AI Minister Evan Solomon described the backing as substantial and said it forms part of a broader approach to trust in AI. A source familiar with the matter told The Globe and Mail that the amount under discussion is more than $100 million. Key facts: - Ottawa has signed a letter of intent to provide financial support to LawZero, according to the federal AI minister. - A source familiar with the matter said the amount being discussed is over $100 million; the source was not identified publicly. - LawZero was founded by Yoshua Bengio last June with about US$30 million in philanthropic funding and employs roughly 30 people. - The nonprofit says most funding needs are for compute resources and hiring researchers to advance technical safety work. - Minister Evan Solomon framed the move as part of a regulatory, legislative and technical strategy to foster trust in AI. - The federal government has previously made large AI investments, including funding noted for other Canadian AI initiatives. Summary: A substantial government investment would provide capital for LawZero’s work on technical measures intended to reduce risks from powerful AI and to expand its staff and computing capacity. Undetermined at this time.