Key facts
- UK must not depend on foreign AI systems that can be switched off, says Alan Turing Institute head George Williamson.
- National resilience is a key focus for the institute amid geopolitical concerns.
- Williamson cited US and China's leadership in AI as a reason for the UK to strengthen its domestic position.
- Political and commercial pressures could restrict access to AI systems, Williamson warned.
- The institute aims to help build national resilience by securing critical systems and countering AI threats.
- Williamson previously headed the Government Communications Centre.
The UK must not become dependent on foreign artificial intelligence systems that could be restricted or switched off, and should instead focus on developing its own versions of the technology, according to George Williamson, the head of the Alan Turing Institute (ATI).
Williamson stated that the country needs a stronger domestic position in AI to respond to the significant leadership of the US and China in the field, emphasizing "national resilience" as a core objective for ATI. The institute, which is the UK's primary AI research body, is undergoing a strategic shift following demands from its main funder, the government.
"As AI becomes more embedded in critical services, in domains like defence, national security, critical infrastructure and healthcare we shouldn’t depend solely on systems we can’t inspect or control, or that could be restricted or even switched off," Williamson said. He pointed to recent events, such as Washington temporarily blocking the release of Anthropic's latest AI models outside the US and reportedly asking leading AI labs to withhold models from UK testing, as examples of why such dependency is problematic.
"We’ve seen now that both political and commercial pressures mean we may not have access [to AI] in all the circumstances when we want it. That is not a place where a nation wants to be," he added, emphasizing the need for the UK to have AI systems it does not need to ask permission to use.
Williamson, who previously led the Government Communications Centre, highlighted concerns about the geopolitical situation and the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems. He noted that the UK needs "more agency on access to technology" and a stronger sovereign position in AI, especially as building an economy on technologies that can disappear is difficult.
Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, have also urged Europe to increase its self-sufficiency in AI, with Lagarde warning of the threat of being "cut off" from US and Chinese technology. Williamson also cited concerns that Chinese-made AI systems might not align with Western values, referencing the difficulty in obtaining unbiased answers about certain historical events in China from some models.
He suggested that ATI could help build national resilience by focusing on securing critical systems, countering AI threats, and developing "nationally owned IP" or smaller models for startups. Williamson also stated that ATI, as an objective arbiter, can help navigate concerns about AI, including existential threats, though he expressed skepticism about assigning specific percentages to such risks without convincing evidence.
Williamson indicated that the focus on national resilience would also allow ATI to continue its work on environmental issues, which he considers a national security concern akin to defense. He believes this framing enables the institute to address a broader range of threats and opportunities for the UK.