According to new research from The Alan Turing Institute, swift action is required to better secure the UK’s artificial intelligence research ecosystem against hostile threat actors.

The report is cited as the first study of its kind to focus specifically on AI, and has been produced amid growing concerns that the UK’s work-leading AI research is a high-priority target.

The newly-published report argues that there’s currently a lack of incentives for researchers to follow existing government guidance on research security, and that awareness of the possible security risks isn’t consistent across the academic sector.

It advocates for urgent culture change, and better balancing between research security and the pressures academics face to publish their innovative research.

Additionally, the report highlights that there are difficulties for academics both in assessing risks of their research, including future misuse, and carrying out due diligence processes on collaborative research partners without a clear view of current threats.

A swift and coordinated response between the higher education sector and the UK Government is required, it argues, offering 13 recommendations to help government and academia build resilience around the AI research ecosystem.

This includes measures such as regular advice on the international institutions deemed high risk for funding agreements and collaborations, UKRI to provide grant funding opportunities for research security activities, and for pre-publication risk assessments for AI research to be standardised across major journals and publishing houses.

The report’s authors also want all academic institutions to be required to deliver National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) accredited research training to new staff and postgraduate research students as a prerequisite for grant funding, among the other recommendations.

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Speaking on the new report and what needs to change moving forward, Megan Hughes, who serves as research associate at The Alan Turing Institute and is lead author of the research, commented: “Furthering AI research is rightly a top priority for the UK, but the accompanying security risks cannot be ignored as the world around us grows ever more volatile.

“Academia and the government must commit to and support this long overdue culture change to strike the right balance between academic freedom and protecting this vital asset.”