OpenAI and Microsoft have joined the United Kingdom’s international coalition focused on advancing artificial intelligence safety, pledging new support for the AI Security Institute’s (AISI) Alignment Project, a global initiative aimed at ensuring advanced AI systems remain safe, secure, and under human control.
Announced at the AI Impact Summit in India, the new commitments include £5.6 million from OpenAI and additional backing from Microsoft and other partners, bringing total funding for AI alignment research to more than £27 million. The funding will support roughly 60 research projects across eight countries, with a second funding round planned for later this year.
The Alignment Project focuses on “AI alignment,” a field dedicated to ensuring AI systems act as intended and avoid harmful or unpredictable behavior as their capabilities advance. Researchers and policymakers increasingly view alignment as a critical challenge as AI becomes more integrated into public services, healthcare, and economic systems.
UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the initiative strengthens efforts to ensure safety remains central to AI development, while AI Minister Kanishka Narayan described public trust as a key barrier to wider adoption. Officials say the project aims to improve confidence in AI systems by supporting independent research and international collaboration.
The coalition supporting the initiative includes government agencies, research institutions, and technology companies such as Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and Australia’s AI Safety Institute. The project is guided by an expert advisory board that includes prominent researchers Yoshua Bengio, Zico Kolter, and Shafi Goldwasser.
According to OpenAI Vice President of Research Mia Glaese, alignment challenges require collaboration across multiple organizations and independent research teams to ensure advanced systems remain reliable and controllable.
The UK government says the Alignment Project reinforces the country’s position as a global hub for frontier AI research, combining grant funding, computing resources, and mentorship from AISI scientists. Officials argue that sustained progress in alignment research is essential as increasingly capable AI systems emerge, helping ensure innovation develops alongside strong safety and governance measures.
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