Jack Loughran Fri 10 Jan 2025
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/01/10/mps-urge-ministry-defence-embrace-ai-battlefield
MPs have urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to consider using AI on the battlefield after seeing effective use of the technology in Ukraine.
Kyiv has used AI to analyse intelligence and assess combat scenarios with Russian forces. Ukrainian developers are also working on drones using AI throughout their flight and at the final targeting stage.
But the Commons’ Defence Committee, which includes MPs from the three major parties, said the UK risked its military capabilities “falling behind” if it did not make greater use of AI.
“The use of AI in Ukraine shows that it offers serious military advantage on the battlefield, and as AI becomes more widespread and sophisticated, it will change the way defence works, from the back office to the frontline,” said Emma Lewell-Buck, chair of the sub-committee on developing AI capacity.
“Harnessing AI for defence requires not just updated technology but an updated approach, and in today’s report, we call on the Ministry of Defence to transform itself into an ‘AI-native’ organisation, fully integrating AI into its work and mindset.
“While the UK’s defence AI sector may not compete with the USA and China when it comes to scale, we can offer valuable specialism and sophistication. Our inquiry discovered a gap between the Ministry of Defence’s rhetoric and reality on AI. While the department acknowledges the importance of AI, these words have not been borne out by action.”
In 2023, the MoD trialled the use of AI-enabled assets in a ‘collaborative swarm’ to detect and track military targets in real time. It said further development would have a massive impact on its military capabilities.
But the committee’s report suggested that there is a gap between its rhetoric on AI and the reality. It found that too often, AI was treated “as a novelty” rather than as something that will soon be a core part of defence’s toolkit. It also called on the MOD to identify the gaps in the UK’s defence AI sector, including in digital infrastructure, data management and the AI skills base.
Soon after taking office in July last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a strategic defence review that is due to be completed in the first half of 2025.
Leave a Reply