The global defense landscape is undergoing a radical transformation with the increasing deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) by countries to bolster their strategic capabilities. From autonomous aerial systems to data analysis for more accurate decision-making on battlefields, AI has become a pivotal element in defense modernization. The United Kingdom finds itself at a critical juncture as it seeks to enhance its national security through AI amid competition with major global powers, such as the United States and China. In a report released by the Parliamentary Defence Committee in the British House of Commons titled “Developing AI Capabilities and Defence Expertise in the UK,” on January 10, 2025, the transformative potential of AI across various areas of defense was highlighted, ranging from administrative tasks to frontline operations. It emphasized that AI is no longer merely a futuristic concept but a tangible reality reflected in its actual use in international conflicts, notably the war in Ukraine. However, the report noted that the UK’s defense AI sector suffers from “relative lag,” necessitating direct intervention from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to support and develop it.
British Initiatives
The UK benefits from a strategic position in the defense sector, allowing it to leverage advancements in AI, particularly in national security. London has already taken significant steps in this direction, including:
Issuing Several AI-Related Defence Strategies and Documents: At the end of 2023, the British Army published a strategic paper outlining how it plans to become “AI-ready” by April 2024, complementing the integrated operating concept from September 2020, the 2021 digital defense strategy, the defense AI strategy from June 2022, and the Army’s digital and data plan (2023-2025). The essence of the first strategy is to ensure the establishment of a “reliable and responsible AI Army, integrating human-focused AI across the entire force to achieve a decision-making edge.” The value of AI stems from its ability to access and process vast amounts of data swiftly. Therefore, such capabilities will provide the army with a competitive advantage and operational efficiency against potential adversaries. The MoD’s defense AI strategy, published in June 2022, describes the AI and defense autonomy unit as establishing strategic political frameworks for the development, adoption, and use of AI. Additionally, the UK government’s document titled “A Pro-Innovation Approach to AI Regulation,” published in February 2024, sets a strategic framework aimed at fostering AI innovation while ensuring public safety and confidence. This initiative is part of the UK’s broader ambition to become a global leader in AI, with expectations that the domestic AI market will exceed one trillion dollars by 2035.
Establishing Institutional Frameworks to Support AI Use in Defence: At the institutional level, UK Strategic Command, represented by the Digital Defence Division, is responsible for overseeing digital technologies and AI, with notable achievements including the development of “digital twins” that mimic reality and constructing an integrated digital infrastructure comprising defense clouds to support data sharing and analysis. The Defense AI and Autonomy Unit (DAU) and the Defence AI Centre (DAIC) play central roles in these efforts; the former is responsible for identifying the strategic direction for defense AI, while the latter serves as a focal point for AI research and development, focusing on collaboration with academic and industrial partners. In December 2023, the UK House of Commons Defence Committee established a sub-committee focused on enhancing AI capacity and expertise in the country’s defense sector, chaired by MP Emma Lewell-Buck. The goal is to explore ways in which the MoD can secure the necessary capability and expertise for the UK to become a leader in defense AI. The committee will evaluate how the MoD can effectively support the UK’s defense sector in leveraging the significance of AI while promoting British technology to provide a competitive advantage in AI development. Lewell-Buck has previously warned that “if the UK does not move quickly now, it risks falling behind the rapid development of AI.”
Enhancing Partnerships with the Business Sector for AI Capability Development: The Financial Times reported in December 2024 on the UK government’s plans to create a new Defense Industrial Council with the business sector in an effort to deepen “Whitehall’s” collaboration with tech companies and smaller startups, as well as industry giants. British Defence Secretary John Healey stated, “We want greater engagement from technology companies that can benefit our defense innovations. We want to work with entrepreneurs and startups, along with exporters seeking more government support, and investors who want to play a larger role.” The new defense industrial strategy, promised in the Labour Party’s election manifesto, is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2025.
Conducting Comprehensive Regular Reviews in AI Domains: The British MoD announced in October 2024 its plans to launch an advanced AI program to assess submitted applications, aiming to conduct a comprehensive review of national defense capabilities. This program will compile a historical review of the UK armed forces, marking a radical shift in government operations. This will be the first time the UK relies on AI as part of its strategy to integrate modern technology into the “Whitehall” framework. Furthermore, the MoD is preparing to present a strategic defense review in the first half of 2025, utilizing AI to analyze thousands of responses concerning the review. Minister of the Armed Forces Luke Pollard affirmed in October 2024 that AI helps process vast amounts of data, enabling the review team to focus on complex tasks while final decisions remain in the hands of experts and reviewers.
Diversifying AI-Driven Weapons Systems: The UK has made strides in AI utilization across several defense fields, including autonomous systems exemplified by experiments on unmanned aerial vehicles like the “Protector,” showcasing Britain’s capability to engage in autonomous-type warfare due to its advanced AI technologies that provide real-time intelligence and high-targeting accuracy. The consultancy “Faculty AI,” which specializes in developing and deploying AI models for drones, works closely with the UK government on developing AI for military drones. Additionally, offensive weapon systems equipped with AI technologies can identify and proactively attack targets, with some already in service, such as the UK-launched “Brimstone” missile.
International Cooperation in Defense AI Systems: Global partnerships enhance the UK’s AI initiatives through several programs, notably the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), in collaboration with Italy and Japan, focusing on integrating AI into next-generation fighter aircraft. The AUKUS trilateral alliance with the United States and Australia has allowed the UK to develop interoperable technologies, such as swarms of autonomous drones. Similarly, the Parliamentary Defence Committee stated that the UK government should hold a program of discussions with its AUKUS and NATO allies to reach common positions and standards on how allies can develop defense AI technologies, including shared approaches to data collection and establishing multinational research centers and forums to normalize cooperation among AI sectors across countries. In January 2025, the UK, along with a group of allies, launched an operation aimed at utilizing AI to better identify threats to submarine cables and track the movements of the “Russian shadow fleet,” detailing that the UK’s “reactive system” (an AI-assisted computer program) would use AI to monitor vast sea areas by relying on diverse data sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) used by ships to broadcast their locations.
Leveraging Experiences from Contemporary Conflicts: The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has prompted the UK to study intensively how AI can be employed in the defense sector; the Ukrainian experience has demonstrated that AI indeed confers a military advantage in the conflict, benefiting battlefield analysis and electronic warfare. Ukrainian drones capable of autonomously recognizing targets amid electronic jamming have emerged as a model for the UK to adopt similar capabilities.
Counter Challenges
The Parliamentary Defence Committee’s report in January 2025 highlights the gap between the MoD’s rhetoric on AI and the reality of its applications within the defense sector. Despite the ministry’s documents characterizing AI as a significant development, they have not treated this technology as such in planning and execution. Although the UK possesses capabilities to develop advanced fields in defense AI, the sector still experiences noticeable lag compared to leading nations. The main challenges hindering the development of AI technologies in the UK defense sector can be summarized as follows:
Negative Impact of Financial Constraints: Experts warn that London faces several financial challenges that will affect its ability to compete with global leaders like the United States and China. Despite its ambitious goals, the UK’s government spending on AI is significantly lower than that of these two countries, which spend four times more on AI. The UK government’s cancellation of approximately £1.3 billion in AI funding in 2024 presents an additional challenge that limits ambitious project implementations in this area. While the MoD aims to invest £6.6 billion over four years in research and development, this figure remains small compared to the colossal budgets allocated by competing nations.
Lack of Digital Infrastructure in the Defense Sector: The digital infrastructure in the UK presents a significant barrier to achieving its AI ambitions in defense. The House of Commons Defence Committee has pointed out delays in efforts to create defense clouds and robust data networks capable of supporting advanced AI applications. Additionally, large quantities of defense data remain unstructured, hampering the efficiency of machine-learning algorithms and their effective deployment. Furthermore, the pace of development for British AI technology in the commercial sector is faster than that of the defense sector. Leading companies in this field, such as Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries, have indicated that timelines for developing commercial AI products are measured in months or even weeks, while defense solution development takes much longer, often extending to several years. Some aspects of the UK defense AI strategy have become outdated compared to rapid advancements in the commercial sector. Moreover, the UK lacks a tech giant comparable to companies like Baidu, Google, or Microsoft, which represents another weakness affecting its progress in this field.
Increasing Ethical and Regulatory Complexities: An analysis provided by the House of Lords in its December 2023 report on autonomous lethal weapon systems raised ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in defense, particularly with the emergence of autonomous weapon systems. Although the UK defense strategy emphasizes the importance of human oversight over AI systems, the absence of international consensus on ethical and regulatory frameworks complicates their real-world application, especially since autonomous weapon systems raise concerns regarding legal accountability and compliance with international humanitarian law.
Confusion over Institutional Roles Related to Defense AI Development: The talent shortage in the AI field is another urgent issue; the private sector often attracts the best talent due to competitive salaries, despite promising models like the TeckUK job exchange programs aimed at addressing this gap, which need to be expanded to meet defense requirements. Additionally, confusion over defining the roles of various institutions involved in the development of defense AI, such as the Defense AI Centre, which is supposed to manage collaboration among defense, academia, and the tech sector, has been raised. The Parliamentary Defence Committee has expressed concerns about the weak influence of this center, noting that “the position of the center’s head is designated for a one-star officer,” which is an experience level deemed insufficient for effectively leading these efforts.
Geopolitical Competition and the Implications of Brexit: Brexit has created adverse economic winds, impacting the UK’s attractiveness for internal investment and high-skilled labor migration, especially from the EU. While the UK’s research sector retains a global reputation, it faces increasing challenges, including fierce competition from advanced American research firms for top talent, along with heightened difficulties in accessing EU research funding after leaving the union. Meanwhile, the US and China continue to dominate the global AI landscape, leveraging broader industrial systems and greater financial resources. Additionally, rising geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, exert pressure on the UK’s defense priorities, especially in the realm of defense AI.
Relative Weakness in Advanced Technological Capabilities: The UK’s capabilities in AI-driven combat remain limited and lag behind other nations. For example, the British “Protector” drone has shown that it is not designed for operations in highly competitive environments. The UK is also far from developing AI-driven defense platforms capable of independently executing air strike operations or achieving air superiority. Although there have been experimental efforts to develop advanced weapon systems, such as American “Switchblade” weapons, the UK has not secured these technologies in sufficient numbers and lacks offensive weapon systems that can seamlessly combine reconnaissance and strike functions independently, like Israeli Harpy systems.
In conclusion, the UK Ministry of Defence aims to effectively implement AI to address its defense challenges and enhance its military capabilities, allowing the UK and its allies to maintain an edge in defense and security, especially as it seeks to harness the efficiency benefits that AI brings to various other sectors. However, it is remarkable that the UK, with its long history in electronic warfare and signals intelligence, has not yet played a leading role in this vital area, given the multiple challenges outlined above, which London is expected to address in order to catch up with its competitors and maintain its international military standing.
