UK vulnerable to enemies getting ahead of MOD on AI use, MP warns
The Ministry of Defence needs to embed artificial intelligence (AI) throughout defence and act before adversaries take the advantage with the technology, an MP has warned.
It comes after a government Defence Committee report said acting quickly is essential to avoid falling behind when it comes to AI, adding the MOD must learn the lessons from Ukraine around Artificial intelligence.
Emma Lewell-Buck, the Labour MP for South Shields, sits on the committee, and told Forces News if the MOD did not take action to address and develop AI, then "our adversaries will".
In its report, it calls on the Ministry of Defence to transform itself into an "AI-native" organisation, fully integrating the technology into its work and mindset.
MPs said AI is providing military advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine and urged the MoD to embrace the change the technology is bringing to defence.
The report said there is a gap between the MOD's rhetoric and reality. It says too often AI is treated as a novelty rather than as something that will be a core part of defence's toolkit.
Ms Lewell-Buck said: "It should be that the whole organisation needs to move to that mindset… AI is just embedded through defence.
"If the MOD don't take action, then our adversaries will. They're developing AI and if we don't… then that leaves us vulnerable."
She also spoke about the defence AI centre, stating that it just looked like "a collection of people somewhere".
With global threats growing and technology advancing rapidly, the committee says the on-going Strategic Defence Review is a critical chance for the UK to embrace the AI revolution.
It also calls on the MOD to identify the gaps in the UK's Defence AI sector including in digital infrastructure, data management and the AI skills base.
"One of our recommendations today is it would benefit from a proper base," she said.
But it is still fragmented, with each head of service having to develop an individual "AI development policy".
"No one's clear how it all joins up," she said.
"We recommended it should be under the leadership of CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) because that would make perfect sense because it needs to be threaded through the whole organisation," she said.
"This isn't something that each service lead should be doing in silos or individually."
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