Tech secretary calls for greater control over AI to protect national security

Technology secretary Liz Kendall has called for a “decisive move” towards backing more British tech companies as AI reshapes global power, security and prosperity.

In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), she warned that nations which fail to master the defining technology of their age risk ceding control over their security and economic future.

Kendall argued that control over where AI systems are built, how they operate and who ultimately controls them is now fundamental to economic security, energy security and defence security.

The government will develop a UK AI hardware plan to secure Britain’s capability in chips and the semiconductor technologies that underpin the full AI hardware stack.

In her speech, Kendall said: "This government believes AI Sovereignty is not about isolationism or attempting to pull up the drawbridge and go it alone.

"We will continue to use the best technology and welcome inward investment because that’s what our public services and economy demand.

"For Britain, AI sovereignty is about reducing over dependencies and increasing resilience in key national strategic priorities, as the Prime Minister has rightly argued.

"So we secure greater control and greater leverage over the issues that matter most.

"And if you want leverage for your country, you need to be a keystone in the global tech architecture – an indispensable partner. This requires 2 key shifts in our approach.

"First, a decisive move towards backing more British AI companies, especially in areas where we have real strengths.

"And second, by working more closely with our international partners, particularly other so-called middle power nations, including on setting the standards for how AI is deployed."