During an event at Imperial College London, the Minister for Artificial Intelligence, the Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP, revealed a series of initiatives aimed at safeguarding the UK from the potential risks posed by increasingly powerful artificial intelligence. The announcement was made at Base One, an innovation space managed by Imperial that supports the growth of deep tech companies.
Base One is part of Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster and is central to WestTech London, an innovation ecosystem established by Imperial. This ecosystem connects world-class research, global talent, industry, and infrastructure to foster job creation, attract investment, drive economic growth, and solidify the UK's leadership in science and technology.
The government's new measures include strengthening cyber defences, examining enhanced legal protections, and preparing for significant incidents involving autonomous AI systems. These efforts build upon two pilot programmes that have already identified and rectified over a thousand potential cyber vulnerabilities and detected emerging cyber threats within government systems. The extension of this programme aims to protect essential public services and encourage wider adoption across the public sector.
The Minister emphasised the need for a comprehensive, society-wide approach to resilience against emerging AI risks, ensuring that the technology benefits British interests, prosperity, and security. "I want Britain to become one of the hardest countries in the world to attack using artificial intelligence," stated Kanishka Narayan MP. "We will use every power at our disposal. We will legislate wherever necessary. And we won’t look to law alone. We will look to British ingenuity: our scientific expertise, technological capabilities and institutions to understand these increasingly powerful systems, defend against emerging threats and respond when things go wrong."
Addressing AI developers, the Minister added: "And to the companies developing the world’s most powerful AI systems, my message is: Listen when your scientists warn of serious dangers. Investigate unexpected behaviour. And if you cannot adequately control the risks, do not release the system."
Professor Peter Haynes, Provost of Imperial College London, highlighted the university's commitment to responsible AI development. "Here at Imperial, we have AI experts in computer science, engineering, the natural sciences, medicine, and business developing cutting-edge research and innovation," he said. "Their work frequently leads to impactful applications, from accelerating drug discovery and improving healthcare to advancing climate modelling, designing advanced materials, securing infrastructure and creating trustworthy human-centred AI systems."
Professor Haynes further explained Imperial's focus on safety and responsibility in AI deployment. "Imperial is focused on ensuring that frontier AI is developed and deployed safely and responsibly, with governance, safeguards, and real-world impact embedded from the outset. And finally, with an eye firmly on the future, we’re investing in a new facility at our White City Deep Tech Campus that will bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to create a powerful engine for data science, AI and machine learning."
Imperial is also developing a new Academic Building at its White City Deep Tech Campus, designed to foster interdisciplinary research in data science, AI, and machine learning. Additionally, the university is establishing a new Centre for AI-Driven Innovation in partnership with the World Economic Forum, and the School of Convergence Science, which focuses on Human and Artificial Intelligence to shape a responsible AI landscape. The Frontier AI Lab, a collaboration with Thomson-Reuters, is also underway to address the safety, reliability, and societal impacts of AI.
