Select committee: Defence Committee
Conclusion 10
2nd Report - Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK defence
Published 10 Jan 2025
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
AI ‘readiness’ is hard to define because the technology and its use in defence is evolving so rapidly. It is extraordinarily difficult to predict how AI technology will develop during the lifetime of the Defence AI Strategy, and this makes AI readiness a fast-moving target and a process that will 53 never be fully complete. For this reason, rather than aiming to be ‘AI-ready’ it would be more appropriate for MOD to aim to become an ‘AI-native’ organisation, for which AI is a core part of its toolkit and which is able to use AI instinctively to solve problems and meet its objectives. (Conclusion, Paragraph 37)
From: Defence Committee, 2nd Report - Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK defence (HC 590), 10 January 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 4 April 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and agrees with most recommendations, in several cases in general terms or subject to the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review.
- On the Strategic Defence Review, it "agrees in general terms" that specific actions should normalise AI use, though the response "cannot pre-empt the findings of the SDR".
- On the Defence AI Strategy, it believes it is "more pertinent to focus on shaping our future approach" and anticipates the need to refresh its strategic approach, while agreeing that specific, measurable actions will be essential.
- On a new fund to scale innovations, it says ongoing discussions with HM Treasury "prevent a direct response", and will raise the recommendation with the Treasury "where it is appropriate to do so".
- On the Digital Strategy for Defence, it "partially agrees" and plans a refreshed digital strategy with an implementation plan and metrics; it says the Digital Backbone has no completion date.