Britain to strengthen cyber defences and urge AI companies to improve safety — The Guardian

The United Kingdom is set to strengthen its cyber defences, while companies creating the most powerful artificial intelligence systems will be urged to work more actively on their safety. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan is expected to state this during a speech in west London, The Guardian reports.

Model safety and infrastructure

Narayan will stress that Britain cannot rely entirely on technology companies to oversee their AI models. He will also advocate developing the country's own British artificial intelligence infrastructure.

His speech will be the first since Andy Burnham made AI a cabinet-level area of responsibility. It will take place amid a discussion on international AI safety standards involving, among others, Finland, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland.

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Concerns over cyberattacks

Geoffrey Irving, the former chief scientist at the UK's AI Safety Institute, expressed concern that hostile states could steal undisclosed advanced models. According to him, the protections used by developer companies are unable to prevent such a scenario.

Irving cited an incident at OpenAI, when cybersecurity researchers tested the company's systems under an ethical hackers programme and reported a potentially broad scope of accessible information. OpenAI said it had several layers of model protection, including encryption and continuous monitoring.

Last week, the heads of MI5, MI6 and the UK's Government Communications Headquarters briefed the cabinet on AI-related national security threats, according to the Sunday Times. The prime minister also told the UN that during Britain's G20 presidency next year, the country would promote common global principles and AI safety standards.