AI minister announces measures to protect against AI risks in speech at Imperial

The Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP, Minister for Artificial Intelligence, announced a suite of measures to better protect Britain from the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI during an event at Imperial.

The speech was given at Base One, an innovation space by Imperial which is supporting deep tech companies to scale and grow. Base One is part of Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster and sits at the heart of WestTech London, the innovation ecosystem established and anchored by Imperial which brings together world-class research, global talent, industry and infrastructure to create jobs, attract investment, drive growth and cement the UK’s position as a leader in science and technology. 

The Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP, Minister for Artificial Intelligence, announced a suite of measures to better protect Britain from the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI, with the government urgently putting frontier AI to work strengthening cyber defences, examining stronger legal protections and preparing for serious incidents involving autonomous AI systems. 

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.  Professor Peter Haynes Provost and Deputy President, Imperial College London

The move builds on two pilots that have already helped identify and fix over a thousand potential cyber vulnerabilities across government systems, and detect potential cyber threats. Extending the programme will help protect public services that people rely on every day and will support longer-term adoption across the public sector. 

The Minister argued for a whole-society approach to resilience in the face of emerging AI risks, so that this technology continues to serve British people’s interests and boost our prosperity, as well as our security. 

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said: “I want Britain to become one of the hardest countries in the world to attack using artificial intelligence. 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. 

“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, said: “Here at Imperial, we have AI experts in computer science, engineering, the natural sciences, medicine, and business developing cutting-edge research and innovation. 

“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.” 

He added: “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’s work in AI includes: 

• The university’s new Academic Building, to be built at our White City Deep Tech Campus, which will bring together academic researchers from across disciplines at an unprecedented scale to create a powerful engine for data science, AI and machine learning. 

• A new Centre for AI-Driven Innovation, established jointly with the World Economic Forum and supported by the UK Government, which is dedicated to developing and scaling novel AI applications across key growth sectors of the UK’s industrial strategy. It is the first WEF Global Centre to be based in the UK.  

• The School of Convergence Science has a major focus on Human and Artificial Intelligence, and will help to shape a responsible, collaborative AI landscape that amplifies human creativity, intelligence and societal impact while ensuring human empowerment. It will augment the intelligence of humans and machines to help humanity thrive. 

• The Frontier AI Lab, recently established with Thomson-Reuters, is a landmark strategic partnership between industry and our School of Convergence Science that is focused on addressing the safety, reliability, and societal and economic impacts of AI.