UK Government reveals all on its new bid to boost AI Security Research

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LASR will safeguard AI and explore vulnerabilities

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(Image credit: Shutterstock / IR Stone)
  • Laboratory for AI Security Research holds its first meeting
  • The public-private partnership sees collaboration from academia, industry and government agencies
  • The lab will conduct research into AI vulnerabilities and safeguards

The UK’s Laboratory for AI Security Research is gradually taking shape, with delivery partners of the £8 million public-private partnership meeting for the first time.

The partnership seeks to unite industry, academia and HMG experts in the pursuit of supporting the development of safe AI systems.

The partnership includes Government departments, as well as experts and research teams from Plexal, University of Oxford, The Alan Turing Institute and Queen’s University Belfast.

National and international safe AI development

LASR will be dedicated to exploring vulnerabilities in AI tools and the wider cyber ecosystem, and will collaborate with other national and international organizations to enhance cyber defense and grow the economy by commercializing viable research outputs.

The lab will also support research into AI systems by supporting ten doctoral students from the University of Oxford in their research into AI and Machine Learning security. LASR is also expected to advance safeguards and explore how to detect inference within AI.

The partnership was initially announced at the NATO Cyber Defense Conference by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden. As part of the announcement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said, “The lab will pull together world-class industry, academic and government experts to assess the impact of AI on our national security.”

“While AI can amplify existing cyber threats, it can also create better cyber defence tools and presents opportunities for intelligence agencies to collect, analyse, and produce more useful intelligence,” he added.

Speaking on the first meeting of the delivery partners, Saj Huq, CCO and Head of Innovation at Plexal, said, “AI adoption presents tremendous economic and societal opportunities, but we must be mindful of threats emerging. Through this world-class LASR partnership, Plexal will drive the development and commercialisation of breakthrough solutions to enhance resilience of public and private sectors, creating growth vectors for the UK’s tech ecosystem."

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Staff Writer (Security)

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division),  then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.