- Meta donates $1.3 million to fund AI research fellowships at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- Five researchers each receive $260,000 over two years to study AI’s societal benefits and risks.
What happened: Meta funds UK AI fellowships
Meta has pledged $1.3 million to the Royal Academy of Engineering to establish five independent AI fellowships across UK universities. Each fellow will receive $260,000 over two years through the Academy’s Research Chairs and Senior Fellowships scheme, enabling them to examine artificial intelligence in sectors such as energy, transport and public health. Meta UK’s public‑policy director, Richard Earley, said the programme lets academics “probe both the benefits and the risks of AI away from commercial pressures.” The company will have no influence over the selection process or the resulting research. Meta’s announcement follows its recent publication of the open‑source Llama 3 models and its support for the government‑run UK AI Safety Summit, signalling an attempt to align with wider national efforts to develop “safe AI.”
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Why this is important
Big‑tech funding for independent research is increasingly scrutinised as governments push for AI accountability. By routing money through the Royal Academy rather than an in‑house lab, Meta aims to bolster its credibility at a time when UK policymakers, led by Rishi Sunak, are drafting new AI regulation and calling for greater transparency on data and model safety. The fellowships could inform future policy if findings are cited in parliamentary reports or standards bodies. Critics point out that a one‑off $1.3 million grant is modest next to Meta’s multibillion‑dollar R&D spend and argue that structural transparency—such as publishing safety evaluations or opening datasets—would have greater impact. Nevertheless, the move reflects a broader trend: companies are funding academia to bridge the gap between rapid commercial deployment and slower regulatory frameworks. If successful, the fellowships may create a template for similar collaborations, reinforcing the UK’s ambition to become a global centre for trustworthy AI while pressuring other firms to offer comparable support.
