AI Festival in Milton Keynes, October 28 – November 1, 2024

City Council calls on tech industry experts, creative minds and businesses to join first AI Festival later this year, which will open at Bletchley Park 

Last year, the UK government held a safety summit on artificial intelligence at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, where world leaders met to discuss the future of AI. The location was carefully selected as this was where, in the 1940s, the first programmable digital electronic computer was developed. This year, Bletchley Park will again host the latest, cutting-edge technology with the formal opening of the Milton Keynes Artificial Intelligence Festival 2024.  

Photo courtesy of Milton Keynes City Council

This festival will provide an opportunity for businesses to showcase their AI work, share insights and engage with a diverse audience to make the most of the opportunities presented by modern technologies. The city council will produce an exhibition showcasing this modern tech and invites organisation to express their interest in hosting events during the week the festival runs.   

Events, discussions and ‘hackathons’ will run across the city, with confirmed hosts including The Open University, Connected Places Catapult, Aiimi and His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC), as well as Bletchley Park. More will be confirmed in due course.  

 Organisations are also welcome to set up their own self-funded fringe events separate to the main programme. The council will help promote such events to ensure organisers reach a wide audience. To register interest in hosting a fringe event, see the Milton Keynes Artificial Intelligence Festival 2024 website.   

Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability, and Innovation at Milton Keynes City Council, says: ‘We’re really proud to be at the forefront of the growth in tech and AI. It’s no coincidence that the first multi-national agreement on the future of AI was signed here in Milton Keynes. The festival will enable us to bring together leading AI and tech developments in MK and across the country, so we can work together to we make the most of these opportunities for our businesses and residents. If you’re involved in this area, this is a great opportunity to showcase your work and collaborate with other partners who share the same interests. I would encourage interested businesses to apply to host events, so we can show the world why Milton Keynes is and will always be the home of innovation and high-performance technology.’ 

Iain Standen, CEO of Bletchley Park Trust, adds: ‘It was a privilege for Bletchley Park to be the host location for the world’s first AI Safety Summit in November 2023. As a site that has witnessed the power of human intelligence, emerging technology and collaboration, we recognise the importance of ensuring that AI technology is developed and deployed in a safe and ethical manner. It was incredibly exciting to provide the stage for discussions on global safety standards, which will help everyone manage and monitor the risks of artificial intelligence, and to see this encapsulated in the Bletchley Declaration. 

‘It was also a huge opportunity to showcase not only Bletchley Park as a museum and visitor attraction, but also the aspirations of Milton Keynes to be a leading city in emerging technology. The Milton Keynes AI Festival 2024, to mark the one-year anniversary of the summit, is a fantastic opportunity for the city to build on the legacy of this historic event.’ 

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