- The Alan Turing Institute described the recommendations to protect research on British AI
- The actors of the national threat present a serious risk for the development of the United Kingdom AI
- Universities are increasingly targeted, it is therefore necessary to protect protection
The Alan Turing Institute has published a reporting report “urgent action” to protect “the world ecosystem of research on AI” of the United Kingdom.
An urgent and coordinated response from the British government and higher education establishments is necessary, according to the report, to develop protections for the research sector. This includes recommendations to create a classified map of the AI higher education research ecosystem and provide advice to universities.
The higher education establishments in the United Kingdom are increasingly targeted by threat actors, almost half of the cyber attack each week. The report confirms that national actors have been discovered using “espionage, theft and collaboration duplicite” to try to keep up with the rhythm of research and development of the United Kingdom.
Change of culture
The rapid development of AI research makes it vulnerable to threat actors backed by the nation who seek to steal intellectual property and use it for malicious purposes.
Concerns have been raised about hostile states that have potentially accessed the “double use” nature of technology, which means that the tool can be reused or inverted to be used for malicious activity, such as converted defense tools to help attackers.
The report describes the need for a change in culture to focus on risk awareness and security, and encourage “coherent compliance” with guidelines and best practices.
Research also wishes to fill the IA skills deficit in the United Kingdom by ensuring that domestic talents are preserved and providing research on research security for staff and research students. Universities with high research intensity are also invited to create research exams in order to support risk assessments for AI researchers.
“The promotion of research on AI is rightly an absolute priority for the United Kingdom, but the safety risks that accompany it cannot be ignored as the world around us becomes more and more volatile,” explains Megan Hughes, research partner at Alan Turing Institute.
“The academic world and the government must commit and support this change of culture for a long time to find the good balance between academic freedom and the protection of this vital asset.”
