The UK’s AI Safety Institute has rebranded to the AI Security Institute as the government shifts its AI strategy to focus on serious AI risks with security implications, including malicious cyber-attacks, cyber fraud and other cybercrimes.
The UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle announced the pivot at the Munich Security Conference, three days after the AI Action Summit in Paris.
“The changes I’m announcing today represent the logical next step in how we approach responsible AI development – helping us to unleash AI and grow the economy as part of our Plan for Change,” Kyle said.
The Plan for Change includes a list of measurable objectives the current Labour government wants to achieve by the end of the current term of the House of Commons.
AI Safety Is Dead, Long Live AI Security
This name change marks a significant shift in the institute’s mission, which will no longer focus on AI ethical issues, such as algorithm bias or protecting freedom of speech in AI applications.
Instead, the AI Security Institute will now be dedicated to developing strategies to counter AI cyber threats.
For this, the institute’s main mission will be to “advance our understanding of the most serious risks posed by the technology to build up a scientific basis of evidence which will help policymakers to keep the country safe as AI develops,” said the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in a press release.
One big concern is the use of AI to make child sexual abuse images, with the team leading the institute exploring methods to help prevent abusers from harnessing the technology to carry out their appalling crimes.
“This will support work announced earlier this month to make it illegal to own AI tools that have been optimized to make images of child sexual abuse,” DSIT added.
As part of this update, the institute will also launch a new criminal misuse team, which will work jointly with the Home Office to conduct research on a range of crime and security issues that threaten to harm British citizens.
The institute will also partner across government, including the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
UK’s Change of Plans for Building Responsible AI
The first indication of the UK government’s change of strategy regarding AI development was reflected when the UK, alongside the US, refused to sign an international AI declaration at the end of the AI Action Summit in Paris.
The declaration, endorsed by 60 nations such as France, China, and India, commits to an “open,” “inclusive” and “ethical” approach to developing the technology. It aims to bridge digital divides by enhancing AI accessibility and ensuring the technology’s development is “transparent,” “safe” and “secure and trustworthy.”
The UK government refused to sign because of concerns about national security and “global governance.”
The AI Action Summit was the latest event of an international initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron and former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ensure AI is developed ethically.
Read more: AI Safety Summit Faces Criticisms for Narrow Focus
UK Government Strikes Deal with Anthropic
As part of the AI Security Institute rebrand, Technology Secretary Kyle also announced a new partnership with AI firm Anthropic.
This new collaboration with the owner of the Claude AI chatbot will include sharing insights on how AI can transform public services and improve the lives of citizens, as well as using this transformative technology to drive new scientific breakthroughs.
“The UK will also look to secure further agreements with leading AI companies as a key step towards turbocharging productivity and sparking fresh economic growth – a key pillar of the government’s Plan for Change,” DSIT added in the press release.
Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic commented: “We look forward to exploring how Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude could help UK government agencies enhance public services, with the goal of discovering new ways to make vital information and services more efficient and accessible to UK residents.”
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