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The UK government has announced it will back a new company, Ineffable Intelligence, which develops systems to test the extent to which AI capabilities can expand
Through the Sovereign AI initiative, the government is co-investing alongside the British Business Bank to help Ineffable Intelligence scale its operations and technology from within the UK.
From imitation to discovery
Ineffable Intelligence focuses on how artificial intelligence works; most current AI systems rely heavily on human-generated data to recognise patterns and produce outputs.
Ineffable Intelligence is building systems that can learn through experience by testing ideas, interacting with their environment, and improving over time.
This approach could enable AI to generate genuinely new knowledge, creating new opportunities for breakthroughs across medicine, engineering, and scientific research.
The company was founded by David Silver, a leading figure in modern AI. During his time at Google DeepMind, he helped develop AlphaGo, which famously defeated a world champion in the complex board game Go. That achievement marked a turning point for reinforcement learning, showing how machines could master highly complex tasks.
With Ineffable Intelligence, David Silver is now hoping to push that concept further, toward AI systems that can autonomously expand human knowledge.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said:
“David Silver is one of the world’s foremost AI leaders, now taking one of the world’s most innovative approaches to frontier AI. I am delighted that he is doing so right here in the UK, backed by the full support of the British state.”
Building a national AI ecosystem
The investment is part of the UK’s Sovereign AI strategy, which aims to operate at the speed and mindset of venture capital while benefiting from government backing.
Alongside financial investment, the initiative also provides access to advanced computing infrastructure. Several other startups are being supported through the UK’s AI Research Resource, a network of powerful supercomputers that helps overcome one of the biggest challenges in AI development: access to high-performance computing.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly seen as a defining technology of the modern era, with implications for economic growth, national security, and global influence. Countries around the world are investing heavily to secure leadership in this space.
By backing Ineffable Intelligence, the UK is showing the world how it is determined to stay at the forefront of innovation.
The company’s focus on self-learning and discovery-driven AI is a big step from current capabilities, and could reshape how breakthroughs in science and technology are achieved.