Technology Sovereignty Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Jim Shannon
Main Page: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)Department Debates - View all Jim Shannon's debates with the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Dame Chi Onwurah
I very much agree with my hon. Friend. He is absolutely right, and that support should take the form of access to investment, but also procurement and procurement decisions, which I will discuss in more detail.
The Digital Minister also told the Committee:
“There is no single internationally recognised definition of digital sovereignty”
and:
“DSIT is working to develop a comprehensive definition that can be used across the UK”.
We have not received an update, but yesterday, the Government launched the AI sovereignty unit with £500 million, so it is to be hoped that we know what we are spending our money on.
Jim Shannon
The hon. Lady is terribly kind and it is always a pleasure to come to a debate that she has secured. Recent studies indicate that AI-powered tools have already been used in phishing, ransomware, and social engineering attacks, making breaches faster, more targeted and harder to detect. The National Cyber Security Centre has repeatedly warned that the sophistication and scale of cyber-threats are increasing, and that AI could amplify those risks exponentially. Does the hon. Lady therefore agree that we have a critical gap in investment, expertise and the co-ordinated strategy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to defend against AI-enabled attacks? The Government must focus on being able to combat those in future—does she agree?
Dame Chi Onwurah
I certainly agree that we need to be able to defend ourselves against AI attacks.