Britain WILL be breached by rogue AI: Minister pledges stronger cyber defences after Australia hacking

A breach of the UK's cyber defences by AI is 'inevitable' and the UK has to be prepared, the minister for the sector has warned.

Kanishka Narayan, the AI minister, said it was likely the UK would fall prey to an attack as he announced plans to increase safeguards.

It came as the president of Microsoft said that milk and washing machines were more regulated than the sector at present.

In his first major speech, Mr Narayan warned that the UK would almost certainly suffer a major attack on its infrastructure.

Referring to a hack on Australia in which a rogue OpenAI agent hacked a government website and accessed private data, he said the UK needed to be prepared.

'The incident should concern us,' he said. 'It concerns me. It seems likely, if not inevitable, that our own cyber defences will be breached.'

He said that the Government should take seriously the risks of AI – as set out by those who work in the sector.

Last month, researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic, saying that AI 'could kill us all by the end of the decade'.

Asked whether AI could wipe out humanity, he said: 'On the question of risk specifically, look when you hear warnings from folks who work in these companies, you have to take them seriously.'

Mr Narayan also said that developers should only build 'machines that leave us human beings in charge' and help humanity.

'As we cross the threshold into the age of superintelligence, the choices we make now matter,' he said.

'We must build machines that serve us. Machines that help scientists discover new medicines, machines that give care workers more time with the people who depend on them, machines that help British businesses become more productive.

'Above all, machines that leave us human beings in charge.'

He said the Government should take 'swift action' to protect against rogue online agents, adding: 'The British public is right to expect that this Government ought to take the risks of AI seriously.'

In a Government press release to accompany his speech, officials also appeared to warn that the UK wasn't ready for an attack.

'A major incident involving AI agents could play out quicker and wider than other major incidents that governments are designed to respond to, and rising to this challenge will require the development of new expertise and capabilities,' it said.

Mr Narayan said that scientists at Britain's AI Security Institute were running tests on the latest models, including Google's Gemini, to ensure 'robust safeguards'.

It comes after the web giant said it would restrict access to Gemini to only a vetted group of cyber security experts.

Ministers will also strengthen parts of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to protect hospitals and utilities from rogue AI, Mr Narayan added.

It came as Microsoft president Brad Smith said milk and washing machines are more regulated than AI.

'Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection,' he said.

He added that there needed to be global safety rules in place, including a legal obligation to tell a 'victim' if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent.