Entries are now open for thelandmark £1 million Manchester Prize, for pioneering AIinnovations tackling some of society’s biggest challenges
Launched yesterday at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum,the prize is set to put brilliant UK-based AI minds at the heart of problem solving
Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property,explored the prize’s namesake , the Manchester Baby, and celebrated the city as the birthplace of modern computing.
The principal areas of focus for the inaugural prize centre on energy, the environment and infrastructure, coming as global climate conference COP28 continues in the UAE
Viscount Camrose said:
Our decade-long funding commitment for the Manchester Prize will allow the UK to continue harnessing the transformative opportunities of AI for public good.
AI is already helping us to slash carbon emissions, unlocking incredible advances in healthcare and even improving our productivity in the workplace.
The focus of this prize in helping tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges serves as a real call to arms for people and organisations from all walks of life to bring forward ingenious solutions.
For the first two years, the prize will focus on solutions to the challenges surrounding energy, environment and infrastructure. This could include using AI technology to support the transition to electric vehicles by optimising charging methods, reduce household energy consumption by using AIto identify targeted interventions like adding insulation or help lower costs for consumers by automating energy-intensive processes in manufacturing. AI is a critical tool in the fight to help us significantly cut emissions by 2030 as we work towards net zero by 2050, including by accelerating plans to decarbonise the energy sector and the wider economy.
