Oral Answers to Questions

James Duddridge Excerpts

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Paul Holmes (Eastleigh) (Con)]

8. What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on diplomacy.

[Sir James Duddridge (Rochford and Southend East) (Con)]

17. What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on diplomacy.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Anne-Marie Trevelyan)]

Artificial intelligence can bring huge economic and social benefits for the UK and our global partners. We are working with key partners to embrace the opportunities of AI, as well as seeking global co-operation on managing the risks. AI will present significant new opportunities to revolutionise how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office operates, and how it delivers impactful diplomatic and development outcomes across the globe.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir James Duddridge]

AI represents a massive opportunity across a number of sectors, including in the diplomatic sphere, but we must recognise that there are risks. Specifically, what is the Foreign Office doing to counter the potential efforts in this space of Russia and China, which may use artificial intelligence to undermine British interests overseas?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

Global co-operation will be vital to ensure that AI technologies and the rules governing their use are developed in the right way, and are aligned with our values of openness and freedom. The FCDO is working with departments across the UK’s national security ecosystem, including the National Cyber Security Centre, to ensure that we contribute to and benefit from advances in AI, while making sure that we increase our resilience against, and reduce the risk from, any threats that we face. We hope to have as many leading nations as possible involved in the AI summit.