Britain invites allies to fight ‘new AI arms race’ with security research lab
- The British government has announced an AI research laboratory
- The lab’s role is to improve Britain’s cyber resilience
- The lab will collaborate with academic and industry experts to counter AI threats
Britain has announced the creation of a laboratory dedicated to security research to keep NATO and its allies ahead of the ‘new AI arms race’.
The AI Security Research Laboratory (LASR) was announced at the recent NATO Cyber Defense Conference and is expected to receive £8 million in initial government funding.
The laboratory will work with experts from UK universities, allied intelligence agencies and the private sector to improve cyber security at home and abroad.
Assessing national security
“NATO must continue to adapt to the world of AI because as the technology evolves, the threat evolves,” Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told NATO allies at the Cyber Defense Conference.
“The lab will bring together experts from industry, academia and government to assess the impact of AI on our national security. While AI can amplify existing cyber threats, it can also create better cyber defense tools and provide opportunities for intelligence agencies to collect, analyze and produce more actionable intelligence,” he added.
The new research laboratory comes on the back of other new initiatives aimed at improving Britain’s cyber resilience, such as the upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and a £1 million cyber incident response project also announced at the NATO conference . The laboratory will seek additional investment and collaboration from industry, beyond the initial funding of £8.22 million.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also said that one of the aims of the laboratory is against Russian aggression in the cyber world, warning that the Kremlin is prepared to launch a cyber war against Britain at any time earlier in the conference.
“We know from history that appeasing dictators who engage in aggression against their neighbors only emboldens them. Britain learned long ago the importance of standing strong in the face of such actions,” he said, referring to Neville Chamberlain’s 1930s appeasement plan, which allowed fascist Germany and Italy to expand unchecked.
“That is why we support Ukraine in its struggle to decide its own fate. Putin is a man who wants destruction, not peace. He is trying to deter our support for Ukraine with his threats. He will not be successful,” concluded the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
