Letter to James Wise. - Chair of the UK Sovereign AI Fund.
Dear Mr Wise,
CONSULTANCY FRAMEWORKS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
I am writing on behalf of X from GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC to bring to your attention a substantial portfolio of British intelligence-related intellectual property, together with thirty associated consultancy frameworks developed by the company.
Given your role as Chair of Sovereign AI and the importance of the initiative's ambition to strengthen the United Kingdom's position in the development and application of artificial intelligence, I believe this portfolio merits your consideration.
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC is a Scottish company established in 1896. Its work reflects a long-standing interest in intelligence as a field of human, institutional and technological endeavour. Over time, the company has assembled and developed a substantial body of intellectual property relating to intelligence, artificial intelligence, general intelligence and superintelligence.
Our intention is not simply to hold these assets. We want to use them constructively to support the development of intelligence and artificial intelligence in the United Kingdom, to contribute to the country's long-term technological and strategic interests and to help ensure that British-owned intellectual property has the opportunity to fulfil its potential.
1. The intellectual-property portfolio
The company describes its intellectual-property portfolio as comprising thirty UK trade marks in Class 42, together with more than one hundred additional intelligence-related intellectual-property assets.
Among the principal names within the portfolio are:
- INTELLIGENCE®
- GENERAL INTELLIGENCE®
- SUPERINTELLIGENCE®
- UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE®
These names represent distinct areas within a broader intellectual-property portfolio concerned with the nature, development and application of intelligence.
The portfolio is not confined to a single artificial intelligence application or industry. It encompasses concepts and intellectual property that have potential relevance across technology, financial services, insurance, professional services, commerce and the wider economy.
The company has also developed an extensive body of supporting written material. Its website, contains more than 700 pages of material addressing intelligence in its human and artificial forms, together with the strategic, commercial, technological and institutional questions arising from its development.
We believe that intellectual property of this kind should be regarded as a potentially valuable component of Britain's wider technological and intellectual capital. Its significance lies not only in the individual names or registrations, but also in the ideas, frameworks, sector knowledge and supporting material developed around them.
2. The underlying proposition: artificial intelligence is a means, not an end
Our work is founded upon a distinction between artificial intelligence as a technology and intelligence as a capability.
The development of increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems is of profound importance. However, technological capability alone does not determine whether an organisation, industry or country becomes more intelligent.
The ability to process information is not necessarily the ability to understand it. The ability to generate an answer is not necessarily the ability to exercise sound judgement. The automation of an existing process does not necessarily improve the quality of the decisions that process produces.
The more important question is how intelligence is developed, organised and applied.
For a company, this concerns its ability to understand its markets, customers, products, operations, risks and opportunities; to make sound decisions; to learn from experience; and to create lasting value.
For a financial institution, it concerns the ability to understand customers, markets, capital, counterparties and systemic risk.
For a government, it concerns the ability to understand national priorities, evaluate evidence, anticipate change and make decisions in the long-term public interest.
For the United Kingdom, it concerns the development of the intellectual property, institutions, expertise, technologies and capabilities required to compete successfully in an increasingly intelligent global economy.
We believe that these considerations should sit alongside the development of artificial intelligence itself.
Our governing proposition is: Artificial intelligence is a means, not an end.
The objective is to develop and apply intelligence in ways that improve understanding, judgement, decision-making and long-term value.
3. Thirty consultancy frameworks
A central component of the company's work is the development of thirty named consultancy frameworks. Each has been conceived for a particular area of intelligence and a defined industry, professional discipline or commercial environment.
Collectively, they provide a structured approach to examining the implications of intelligence and artificial intelligence for organisations, their operating models and their future development.
The frameworks address strategy, customers, products, operations, data, technology, risk, growth, governance and transformation. They are intended to help organisations understand what intelligence means in their particular circumstances, where artificial intelligence may be useful, what capabilities should be developed and how technological investment can be translated into meaningful institutional and commercial outcomes.
They are consultancy frameworks, not thirty separate artificial intelligence products, foundation models or deployed software systems. Their value lies in the structured thinking, specialist sector perspectives and practical questions they bring to the application of intelligence.
The complete portfolio is set out below.
A. Intelligence, enterprise and general organisational capability
1. GENERAL INTELLIGENCE® — Asset management
Developed for the asset-management industry, this framework examines how investment organisations can improve their capacity to understand markets, evaluate opportunities, allocate capital and manage risk.
It considers investment research, asset allocation, portfolio construction, client requirements, market intelligence, operations and institutional learning. Its central concern is the conversion of information into sound investment judgement and the development of an enduring institutional capacity to make better-informed decisions.
2. ENTERPRISE INTELLIGENCE® — Enterprise organisations
ENTERPRISE INTELLIGENCE® considers how an organisation can develop intelligence across its entire enterprise rather than confining it to individual departments, technologies or information systems.
It examines the relationship between information, insight, decision-making and action, including organisational knowledge, workflows, governance, accountability, institutional learning and the coordination of capabilities across the business.
The objective is to make intelligence an integrated organisational capability.
3. EXPONENTIAL INTELLIGENCE® — Redundancy insurance
This framework examines the implications of accelerating technological and economic change for employment-related risk.
It considers the speed and direction of structural change, the potential effects of artificial intelligence on employment, emerging patterns of redundancy and the implications for insurers and the organisations they serve.
It is concerned with identifying changes in risk before they become fully visible in historical data.
4. FRONTIER INTELLIGENCE® — Offshore energy insurance
FRONTIER INTELLIGENCE® addresses the complex and evolving risks associated with offshore energy and infrastructure.
It considers engineering, subsea operations, pipelines, offshore wind, environmental conditions, supply chains and the interaction of technical and operational systems.
The framework examines how intelligence can improve the understanding of complex assets and the risks associated with their construction, operation and insurance.
5. INFINITE INTELLIGENCE® — Kidnap and ransom insurance
This framework considers intelligence in the context of human security, prevention and crisis response.
It addresses the assessment of threats, the interpretation of information, the coordination of specialist expertise and the management of complex and potentially rapidly changing situations.
It recognises that the ultimate purpose of intelligence in this environment is the protection of human life and the effective management of exceptional risk.
6. NEURAL INTELLIGENCE® — General insurance agencies
NEURAL INTELLIGENCE® examines the development of organisational learning and professional capability within general insurance agencies.
It considers how information can improve customer relationships, insurer relationships, operational processes, reporting, professional knowledge and decision-making.
The framework seeks to strengthen the intelligence of the organisation and the people working within it.
7. SUPERINTELLIGENCE® — Financial technology
SUPERINTELLIGENCE® addresses the strategic implications of advanced intelligence for financial technology organisations.
It examines business strategy, technology architecture, product development, proprietary data, capital allocation, competitive advantage, financial economics, governance and organisational transformation.
A central question is how a financial technology business can develop a defensible advantage through the intelligent application of technology, information and specialist knowledge.
8. UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE® — Film and television production insurance
UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE® examines the changing relationship between intelligence, technology and the risks associated with film and television production.
It considers intellectual property, provenance, authorship, consent, likeness, contracts, technical dependencies and production risk.
The framework recognises that artificial intelligence is changing both the production process and the nature of the risks that may need to be understood and insured.
9. X® — Building societies
X® has been developed for building societies, where mutual ownership, member relationships and long-term institutional value are particularly important.
It considers member intelligence, mortgages, savings, customer relationships, credit risk, operational performance, community knowledge, governance and institutional memory.
The framework seeks to strengthen a building society's ability to understand and serve its members while maintaining the distinctive responsibilities of a mutual institution.
B. Financial services, banking and investment
10. ABSOLUTE INTELLIGENCE® — Chartered financial analysts
ABSOLUTE INTELLIGENCE® is concerned with the quality, independence and reliability of investment analysis.
It examines investment thesis testing, adversarial analysis, the evaluation of assumptions, the identification of contrary evidence, continuous monitoring and institutional learning.
Its central principle is that investment conviction must be supported by evidence and that increasingly sophisticated analytical tools must strengthen rather than compromise independent judgement.
11. ALTERNATIVE INTELLIGENCE® — Alternative investment analysis
This framework addresses the development of information advantage within alternative investment organisations.
It considers hidden relationships, second-order effects, weak signals, market developments and opportunities that may not be apparent through conventional analysis.
It focuses on the quality of research, the testing of assumptions and the distinction between information, insight and genuine investment intelligence.
12. GENIUS® — Investment banking
GENIUS® has been developed for investment banking and the complex analytical and commercial activities associated with capital markets.
It considers mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities, trading, research, financing, transaction analysis and financial documentation.
It also addresses confidentiality, conflicts of interest, information integrity, professional judgement and accountability.
13. HYPERINTELLIGENCE® — Commercial banking
HYPERINTELLIGENCE® examines the development of institutional intelligence within commercial banks.
It considers commercial credit, lending, working capital, liquidity, payments, customer relationships, sector analysis, fraud, operational risk and portfolio concentrations.
The framework seeks to improve a bank's understanding of the businesses it finances and the economic circumstances in which they operate.
14. INTELLIGENCE® — Retail banking
This framework addresses the application of intelligence within retail banks.
It considers customer financial circumstances, payments, savings, borrowing, mortgages, financial services, fraud, customer experience and operational performance.
Its objective is to improve the institution's understanding of its customers and the quality of the services and decisions through which it supports them.
15. SENTIENT® — Financial advisory
SENTIENT® examines the application of intelligence within financial advisory organisations.
It considers client circumstances, financial objectives, suitability, planning, professional judgement, communication and the quality of ongoing advice.
The framework explores how technology can support advisers with better information and more effective processes while preserving professional responsibility and the importance of trusted human relationships.
16. TRUE INTELLIGENCE® — Chartered financial planners
TRUE INTELLIGENCE® focuses on the relationship between individual financial circumstances, professional expertise and the provision of effective financial planning.
It considers client understanding, financial objectives, investment and retirement planning, risk, professional judgement and the appropriate use of intelligent systems.
Its purpose is to strengthen the quality of financial planning while supporting the adviser rather than displacing the professional relationship.
C. Insurance, underwriting and specialist risk
17. ADAPTIVE INTELLIGENCE® — General insurance
ADAPTIVE INTELLIGENCE® considers how insurers can improve their ability to understand and respond to changing risk.
It examines the relationship between historical evidence, current understanding and emerging circumstances, including the continuing reliability of underwriting assumptions and the need for organisations to learn as risks evolve.
18. APPLIED INTELLIGENCE® — Insurance underwriting
This framework focuses on the practical application of intelligence to underwriting decisions.
It considers evidence, risk assessment, pricing, policy terms, referrals, portfolio exposure and delegated authority.
The objective is to improve the quality, consistency and defensibility of underwriting decisions while preserving appropriate professional judgement.
19. AUGMENTED® — Insurance
AUGMENTED® examines how intelligent systems may strengthen the capabilities of insurance organisations.
It considers underwriting, claims, pricing, risk selection, distribution, portfolio management, operational processes and institutional knowledge.
Its central proposition is that technology should augment the expertise and capabilities of insurance professionals.
20. AUTHENTIC® — Alien abduction insurance
AUTHENTIC® is a distinctive specialist framework associated with the assessment of authenticity, evidence and provenance in an unusual insurance context.
Its wider intellectual themes include the distinction between assertion and evidence, the reliability of records and the importance of establishing the authenticity of information when assessing unusual or disputed claims.
21. AUTONOMOUS® — Life assurance
AUTONOMOUS® examines autonomy within life assurance institutions.
It considers the appropriate delegation of authority, the relationship between automated processes and human responsibility, institutional control, governance and accountability.
The framework is concerned with the conditions under which greater operational autonomy can be exercised responsibly.
22. AUTOTELIC® — Yacht insurance
AUTOTELIC® addresses the relationship between the purpose, use and operation of insured vessels and the intelligence required to understand their risks.
It considers vessels as assets, machines, places of residence, transport and leisure, recognising that their intended use and operating environment materially influence their risk profile.
23. BIONIC INTELLIGENCE® — Managing general agents
BIONIC INTELLIGENCE® examines the relationship between specialist underwriting expertise, delegated authority, technology and institutional control within managing general agents.
It considers the quality of information, underwriting performance, insurer relationships, operational oversight and the effective integration of human and technological capabilities.
24. EMBODIED INTELLIGENCE® — Personal accident insurance
This framework considers the relationship between individual circumstances, human risk, evidence and the assessment of personal accident insurance.
It examines how information can support the understanding of insured individuals, the assessment of claims and the quality of decisions, while recognising the importance of context and professional judgement.
25. GENUINE INTELLIGENCE® — Jewellers' block insurance
GENUINE INTELLIGENCE® addresses the particular requirements of jewellers' block insurance.
It considers authenticity, provenance, valuation, condition, ownership, custody, movement, market information and security.
The framework recognises that the accurate assessment of valuable objects requires a combination of reliable information, specialist knowledge and professional expertise.
26. RECURSIVE INTELLIGENCE® — General reinsurance organisations
RECURSIVE INTELLIGENCE® examines how reinsurance organisations can learn systematically from differences between prediction and actual experience.
It considers underwriting, claims, cedant relationships, accumulation, catastrophe exposure, systemic risk, capital and retrocession.
Its central concern is the development of institutional learning that improves future decisions.
27. REFLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE® — General reinsurance brokers
This framework examines the independent assessment of intelligence and technology within reinsurance broking.
It considers whether proposed technological interventions are justified, what alternatives may exist, how dependencies should be evaluated and how governance and accountability should be maintained.
It places particular emphasis on the quality of the decision to adopt technology, rather than assuming that adoption is inherently beneficial.
28. SUPERHUMAN® — Risk management
SUPERHUMAN® addresses the use of advanced analytical capabilities in risk management.
It examines the identification of complex relationships, emerging threats, concentrations, dependencies and systemic vulnerabilities that may extend beyond conventional analytical approaches.
It also considers the risks created by artificial intelligence itself, including model dependency, data quality, concentration, opacity, operational resilience and accountability.
29. SINGULARITY® — General insurance
SINGULARITY® considers the implications of technological change for general insurance organisations and the risks they insure.
It examines emerging risks, changing insurability, portfolio accumulation, policy structures, reinsurance and capital.
The framework is concerned with how insurers can understand and respond to developments that may change the nature of insured risks and the markets in which they operate.
30. UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE® — Film and television production insurance
UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE® is also included in the wider portfolio as a specialist application of intelligence to film and television production insurance.
It considers the changing risks arising from artificial intelligence in production, including intellectual property, provenance, authorship, consent, likeness, contractual obligations and technical dependencies.
The framework reflects the need to understand not only the technology used in production, but also the legal, commercial and insurance consequences of its application.
4. The collective significance of the frameworks
The thirty frameworks are intended to demonstrate that the application of intelligence is not confined to the development of artificial intelligence systems or the activities of specialist technology companies.
Intelligence has implications for virtually every significant economic sector.
In financial services, it affects the quality of capital allocation, investment research, lending, underwriting, risk management and customer relationships.
In insurance, it affects the assessment of risk, the reliability of evidence, the understanding of changing circumstances and the management of complex exposures.
In energy and infrastructure, it affects the understanding of physical assets, engineering systems, environmental conditions and operational dependencies.
Across enterprise organisations, it affects strategy, decision-making, governance, institutional memory, productivity and long-term value creation.
The frameworks provide a means of examining these applications systematically and in the context of the particular organisations and industries concerned.
We believe that this breadth is important. The economic benefits of artificial intelligence will not be determined exclusively by the organisations that develop the most advanced models. They will also depend upon the institutions, businesses and professional communities capable of applying intelligence effectively across the economy.
5. Intellectual property as a strategic British asset
The question of national artificial intelligence capability is frequently considered in terms of computing infrastructure, foundation models, research, specialist talent, investment and the creation of high-growth technology businesses.
These are essential components of a successful national strategy.
However, there is another dimension that deserves attention: the ownership and development of intellectual property, specialist knowledge and institutional frameworks through which intelligence can be applied across the economy.
A country may possess excellent research institutions, talented individuals and access to advanced technologies, yet still fail to capture the full economic value of those capabilities if the associated intellectual property, commercial expertise and strategic assets are developed or controlled elsewhere.
British-owned intellectual property should therefore be considered an important part of the country's wider technological and economic capability.
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC is a Scottish company established in 1896. The portfolio has been assembled and developed under British ownership and we believe it represents an opportunity to make a constructive contribution to the United Kingdom's future in intelligence and artificial intelligence.
We have received international interest in aspects of the portfolio, including interest from Silicon Valley and China. We mention this not as an assertion of valuation or a concluded commercial proposal, but to illustrate that intelligence-related intellectual property developed in Britain may have relevance beyond the domestic market.
Our preference is to see this intellectual property developed constructively and to contribute to the long-term interests of the United Kingdom.
6. Relevance to Sovereign AI
We recognise that Sovereign AI has a specific and important mission: to help British artificial intelligence companies establish, develop and scale their capabilities, strengthening the United Kingdom's position in strategically significant areas of the global AI economy.
We are not suggesting that our consultancy frameworks should be regarded as substitutes for frontier AI research, foundation-model development, computing infrastructure or the creation of new technology companies.
Rather, we believe that the intellectual property and frameworks developed by GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC represent a complementary dimension of national capability.
The portfolio may be relevant to the wider ecosystem in several ways.
First, the development of British intellectual property. The ownership and constructive development of intelligence-related intellectual property should form part of the United Kingdom's consideration of its long-term technological and commercial interests.
Second, the application of artificial intelligence across established industries. The frameworks provide sector-specific approaches to understanding how intelligence may be applied in banking, financial services, insurance, energy, infrastructure and other important areas of the British economy.
Third, the development of institutional intelligence. The ability of organisations to apply artificial intelligence effectively depends upon their capacity to understand their own information, operations, risks, responsibilities and strategic objectives.
Fourth, the commercialisation of specialist knowledge. Sector-specific intellectual property and consultancy expertise may help bridge the distance between technological development and practical economic application.
Fifth, the development of a broader British intelligence economy. The United Kingdom's future position should encompass not only the companies building artificial intelligence systems, but also the intellectual property, expertise and institutions through which those systems create value.
We believe these considerations are consistent with the wider ambition of strengthening Britain's capacity to develop, apply and benefit from artificial intelligence.
7. Our intentions
I wish to be clear about the company's intentions.
We have deliberately assembled and developed this portfolio over a substantial period. Our intention is not simply to preserve these assets, but to use them constructively to support the development of intelligence and artificial intelligence in the United Kingdom.
We believe that the country should seek to retain and develop valuable British intellectual property, encourage the application of intelligence across its industries and ensure that the economic benefits of technological progress are not confined to a relatively small number of technology developers.
We are therefore bringing the portfolio to the attention of individuals and institutions with a genuine interest in the United Kingdom's long-term technological and strategic position.
We are not seeking to present a predetermined programme or to ask Sovereign AI to endorse a particular commercial proposition. Nor are we suggesting that the Fund should alter its investment criteria or remit.
Our purpose is to ensure that this British-owned intellectual property is known to those who may be able to recognise its significance and identify appropriate opportunities for its constructive development.
8. A request for consideration
I would be grateful if you would consider the enclosed information and, if appropriate, arrange for the portfolio to be brought to the attention of colleagues or other relevant individuals within the wider UK artificial intelligence ecosystem.
In particular, I would welcome an opportunity to explain the intellectual-property portfolio, the thinking behind the thirty consultancy frameworks and the potential contribution they may make to the development and application of intelligence across British industry.
I would also be pleased to provide further documentation, including the portfolio schedule and supporting material for each of the thirty frameworks.
Given the importance of Britain's long-term interests in this field, I believe it is worthwhile ensuring that intellectual property of this nature is properly understood and considered.
9. Conclusion
The United Kingdom has a significant opportunity to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Its success will depend upon research, talent, investment, infrastructure, technological development and the creation of world-leading companies.
It will also depend upon the intellectual property, knowledge, institutions and capabilities that enable intelligence to be applied effectively throughout the economy.
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC has sought to make a contribution to this wider endeavour through the development of its intellectual-property portfolio and thirty consultancy frameworks.
We believe that the distinction between artificial intelligence and institutional intelligence is increasingly important. The former provides technological means; the latter concerns the capacity to understand, judge, decide, act and learn.
Our ambition is to see British intellectual property and expertise developed in a manner that contributes to the United Kingdom's long-term prosperity, technological capability and strategic independence.
Artificial intelligence is a means, not an end. General intelligence is the ambition. Institutional intelligence is the capability. Independent judgement is the discipline. Long-term national value is the objective.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this letter. I would welcome the opportunity to provide further information and to discuss the portfolio with you or the appropriate members of your team.
Yours sincerely,
X from GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PLC