UK minister: NATO must stay ahead of the new AI arms race

Cabinet Office Minister Peter McFadden will urge the UK and NATO Allies to stay ahead of the "new artificial intelligence (AI) arms race", while warning that Russian cybercriminals are increasingly targeting countries that support Ukraine.

General Pat McFadden will address a NATO cyber defense conference in London on Monday and announce plans for a new AI security lab to help create better cyber defense tools and organize intelligence on attack operations.

In response to Moscow's latest warning that it is stepping up cyber attacks in support of Ukrainian states, Gen McFadden will call on US-led military alliances, companies and institutions to "do everything they can to lock their digital doors" against an increasingly assertive Russia.

According to excerpts of his speech released in advance, McFadden will say that "cyber warfare is now a daily reality." Our defenses are constantly being tested."

"Our determination to combat threats and protect our citizens and systems must be matched by the severity of the threat." After 75 years, NATO is clearly needed more than ever."

Moscow has previously denied carrying out cyberattacks, and Russian officials say the allegations are aimed at trying to fan anti-Russian sentiment.

McFadden said since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, AI could be weaponized against countries that support Ukraine, and referred to cyberwarfare as a daily reality for Britain and NATO Allies.

"AI is already revolutionizing many aspects of life, including national security. But there is a danger in developing this technology that it could be used against us because our adversaries are also working out how to use AI in the real and cyber battlefields."

McFadden is Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with national security and cyber security as one of his roles.