Former Royal Navy commander stresses urgency of sharing data to outpace adversaries
Nato must get better at using AI and sharing data – an area where its potential adversaries have an advantage – a former senior Royal Navy officer has warned.
Alliance membership is key to UK defence, but being able to share data just like standardised ammunition is high on the priority list for retired Rear Admiral Alex Burton, who said algorithms needed to be shared more broadly.
The former commander of UK Maritime Forces believes data needs be shared at a pace far greater than previously seen to gain an advantage over Nato's adversaries.
RAdm (Ret'd) Burton said data-sharing is already easier for armed forces like China's because its industry is largely government-owned.
"And so there is a very porous relationship between their industrial data providers, their military data providers, and they don't have the alliances that we have. That gives them, in some sense a data advantage," he explained.
To counter this advantage, Nato must develop systems that enable selective data sharing across different sectors, he said.
This includes facilitating data exchange between various industries, establishing partnerships that allow industries to share information with the military, and improving the ability of armed forces from different Nato countries to share data swiftly and efficiently.
Enhancing these areas of data-sharing would provide Nato with a significant strategic edge, enabling more effective use of AI and advanced technologies in defence operations, he argued.
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