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March 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 37Government minister visits Bletchley exhibitionArtifi cial Intelligence is well and truly with us, as the Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology told a Bletchley Park audience when she visited the town to open a new expo. Minister Feryal Clark has praised Bletchley Park for the part it has played in the rapid development of AI in the UK.The Minister was in Bletchley last month to offi cially open a new exhibition called %u2018The Age of AI%u2019 at the famous Milton Keynes codebreakers site. And she paid tribute to the former top-secret wartime centre, describing it as %u2018the place where the debate about AI started%u2019.One of the birthplaces of modern computing, Bletchley Park, was made famous by the pioneering work of the likes of Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman. The Second World War codebreakers were among the fi rst people in the world to use codes and complex data to train machines %u2013 a process which is the lifeblood of modern-day AI development.%u201cI%u2019m super excited to see the exhibition,%u201d said Minister Clark. %u201cIt%u2019s my fi rst time to Bletchley. It%u2019s a huge day and very exciting.%u201cThe Government has supported this project and it%u2019s incredible for us as a nation to be celebrating Bletchley Park, the birthplace of modern computing. It%u2019s important that we honour the legacy of the likes of Alan Turing, so it%u2019s signifi cant that we are here looking at modern AI as well.%u201dBletchley Park%u2019s status as one of the foundations of AI was highlighted two years ago when it was chosen for the world%u2019s fi rst summit dedicated to AI safety, hosted by the UK in 2023. %u201cThere isn%u2019t a part of our economy or society that isn%u2019t going to be touched by AI, whether it%u2019s in health, where we recently announced a cancer breast scanning programme, to products that are helping teachers plan their lessons and helping them with marking. %u201cIt%u2019s leading to faster diagnoses for diseases like cancer, sparking new drug and treatment breakthroughs for people across the country, and even helping us in the fi ght against climate change.%u201d In terms of investment and innovation, the UK is considered the third most important nation for AI, after the US and China, and the Government wants to ensure Britain remains at the forefront of the technology.%u201cIt is absolutely fantastic that Milton Keynes is central to the AI story,%u201d said Minister Clark. %u201cThis is where the debate started, and the world will forever remember that it was here when we fi rst began looking at the power of the modern AI innovations. It has now become even bigger, and we are very much involved in it.%u201dAre you looking for a voluntary role which provides insight into a world that few people see?Then join our team of ordinary people doing an extraordinary role: independent monitoring in prisons.We welcome people from all walks of life, you just need to be over 18 and live within 30 miles of the place you%u2019ll be monitoring. All necessary training and support will be provided during the 12 month induction and mentoring period.If you are interested in joining, we%u2019re recruiting nationally and the Independent Monitoring Boards at HMP Woodhill, HMP Bedford and HMP Five Wells are looking for peoplewho live locally to join their team.APPLICATIONS OPEN ON 5 MARCH! Visit imb.org.uk to fi nd out more, sign up to a virtual event recruitment or to apply.