The UK’s AI Safety Institute is to open its first overseas office in San Francisco this summer, technology secretary Michelle Donelan has announced.

The expansion marks a “pivotal” step that will help the UK tap into the Bay Area’s wealth of tech talent, the UK government said, as well as engage with the world’s largest AI labs and cement relationships with the US to advance AI safety.

The office is expected to open in the summer, with the first team of technical staff headed up by a research director.

The new location will be complementary to the Institute’s London headquarters, which currently boasts a team of over 30.

“This expansion represents British leadership in AI in action. It is a pivotal moment in the UK’s ability to study both the risks and potential of AI from a global lens,” said Donelan.

“Opening our doors overseas and building on our alliance with the US is central to my plan to set new, international standards on AI safety which we will discuss at the Seoul summit this week.”

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As governments and AI leaders prepare to gather in Seoul this week, the UK has also announced that it’s committed to working with Canada through their respective AI safety institutes.

Confirmed by Doneland and Canada science and innovation minister François-Philippe Champagne, the partnership will deepen existing links between the two nations and lead to collaborative work on systemic safety research.

As part of the agreement, the countries will aim to share expertise around testing and evaluation work, with the partnership also enabling secondment routes between the two countries,

The AI safety summit in Seoul, which the UK is co-hosting with South Korea, will take place over the next two days, 21 and 22 May.