Question
I welcome the Government’s Be Ready campaign, which I will champion in my patch in Plymouth. I thank the Minister for his continued endeavours, over the last several years, to knot together different bits of Government agenda and Departments to grow greater resilience. Can he assure the House that this will encompass AI and emerging technologies as well, and can he give us a sense of what new endeavours are being stood up, given the massive acceleration of the threat to our national resilience in that space?
Answer
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his kind words and his observation about the importance of drawing the campaign together from across Government. There needs to be a response that is balanced across Government Departments in order to ensure wider societal resilience. My hon. Friend is right to reference AI. I tend to focus on the significant challenges that AI brings, but there are also significant opportunities, including in this area. I work closely with the Minister for Artificial Intelligence in this endeavour, and I would be happy to discuss that with my hon. Friend further.
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The minister's reply only partly answers the question. On whether AI is within scope, it agrees AI is rightly referenced and mentions working with the AI Minister, but gives no concrete detail on how the Be Ready or cross-departmental work covers AI. On the request for specific new initiatives, it names none and offers only a general call for a balanced government response and an offer to discuss further. The reply is largely hedged, so the person who asked would likely need to follow up for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government's cross-departmental resilience work, including the Be Ready campaign, encompass AI and emerging technologies? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The minister agrees AI is rightly referenced and says they work closely with the AI Minister on the resilience endeavour, which implicitly affirms that AI is within scope. However, no concrete mechanism or detail is given about how the Be Ready or cross-departmental work covers AI, so the affirmation stays vague. |
| What new initiatives or endeavours are being established to build national resilience in relation to AI and emerging technologies? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply names no new initiative or endeavour, only a general call for a balanced cross-government response, a statement that the minister focuses on AI's challenges and opportunities, and a joint endeavour with the AI Minister. The offer to discuss further does not supply the specific initiatives asked for, so the item is only touched on. |