UK’s capability to win wars more and more decided by AI and drones, tech chief warns
EXCLUSIVE: The Mirror speaks to the AI minister Kanishka Narayan about the importance of Britain controlling its own AI for national security and defence
Britain’s ability to win wars is increasingly determined by its AI and tech powers, a technology minister has warned(Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
Britain’s ability to win wars is increasingly determined by its AI and tech powers, a technology minister has warned.
Kanishka Narayan, the minister for artificial intelligence, said he welcomed a discussion on the UK’s AI independence sparked by Andy Burnham’s coronation.
The PM-in-waiting’s team reportedly believes the Government’s current AI strategy is too centred on the US and wants British companies and workers to be prioritised.
In an interview with The Mirror, Mr Narayan said controlling our own AI is crucial for Britain’s national security and defence. “I believe that the capability a country has in AI is the most important question for its future economy and for its future national security,” he said.
“Who wins a war today is determined more by who has the drones and AI to win a war, rather than just who has the conventional artillery to win a war? If that’s right, you want your core technology, AI drone technology, AI data centres, AI applications built in your country, so that you have true ownership of it and the ability to use it in the way that works for your people.”
He admitted Britain is “going to be behind” in terms of jobs and national security if it doesn’t ensure it has AI infrastructure and capability built here. Mr Narayan said the Government is ambitious to go further on AI sovereignty, the term used to describe a country’s control over AI data, models, operations and governance.
Pressed on reports that Mr Burnham wants a stronger focus on British tech sovereignty, he said: “I welcome the conversation on sovereignty. I feel like I’ve been going on about it for months and months, and so it’s great that there’s an even wider focus on it.
“We have a good strategy, but you know, clearly a big part of that is to try and go even further and to go even faster.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday said AI is “going to shape everything that we do” as she emphasised the speed at which the technology is changing.
Asked at the Foreign Affairs’ committee why AI appears to have become a new priority for the Foreign Office, she said: “I do agree that actually that was not highlighted in the priorities in February. That is a reflection of the pace at which this is moving, and this is me looking forward and thinking this is going to shape everything that we do.
“I think over the next 18 months to two years, it’s going to influence all of our foreign policy debates, and that means we in the Foreign Office have to adapt.”
In February, the government named Barnsley as the UK’s first so-called ‘Tech Town’ to serve as an example of how AI can improve everyday communities across the country.
On Tuesday, applications opened for a £800,000 pot of cash to fund innovative AI programmes to train up local workers, businesses and residents in the market town in South Yorkshire.
Training providers are invited to present ideas that include people “who might not otherwise think they are a part of the AI revolution,” Mr Narayan said. This could include teaching an elderly person about the benefits of voice technology or training NHS professionals in tools that cut admin in hospitals.
He also expects some training programmes to be pitched for school children, including teaching kids about AI safety in the same way learning about cybersecurity is an important part about computer studies.
He added: “I want young people starting from the earliest possible ages to think deeply, critically, and to value what are human skills more and more. Because the big thing I believe is that in the age of AI, we are going to value the things that make us humans even more.
“That’s things like better communication, deeper care and compassion, critical thinking, so that we become managers of AI and we control AI rather than the other way around.”
AI is also being ramped up across public services. On Tuesday, the Home Office announced AI will be used by police officers to summarise evidence to help manage the vast volumes of digital material generated during modern investigations.
