UK has no intention of developing fully autonomous weapon systems, defence minister says
The UK does not possess "fully autonomous weapon systems" and has no intention of developing them, according to a defence minister.
James Cartlidge, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, did not rule out the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into weapon systems, but highlighted the importance of "context-appropriate human involvement" in the identification, selection and targeting of potential threats.
His comments came in response to concerns raised by Conservative former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers regarding the use of AI in defence capabilities.
Speaking at defence questions in the Commons, Ms Villiers asked about the Armed Forces' current utilisation of AI, as she argued that weapon systems should always be subject to direct human control.
She said: "The Integrated Review said that AI will be used to strengthen defence capabilities.
"So (in) what ways are the Armed Forces using AI and will he (Mr Cartlidge) agree that weapon systems should always be subject to direct human control and never be allowed to operate autonomously?"
The defence minister replied: "I know there is huge public interest in the matter of AI. Just to be clear, the defence AI strategy last year set out our intent to develop and use artificial intelligence ambitiously, safely and responsibly.
"To be clear, we do not rule out incorporating AI within weapon systems, but we are clear that there must be context-appropriate human involvement in weapons which identify, select and attack targets.
"The UK does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them."
He added: "Finally, any weapons system used by the UK military would be governed by the MOD's (Ministry of Defence) robust framework of legal safety and regulatory compliance regimes, irrespective of the technology involved."
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