Select committee: Defence Committee
Recommendation 38
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 ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Government should convene a programme of discussions with the UK’s AUKUS and NATO allies aimed at reaching a mutual understanding of each other’s AI objectives and strategies. These discussions should also explore reaching, where possible, common positions and standards on how AUKUS and NATO allies will develop and deploy AI in defence. These could include common approaches to data collection and labelling, a shared approach to ethical use of autonomous technologies, and joint working on skills and capacity building. (Recommendation, Paragraph 108)
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.