The UK’s approach to artificial intelligence has become too narrowly focused on AI safety and the threats the technology could pose, rather than its benefits, meaning it could “miss out on the AI goldrush”, a House of Lords Committee has warned.

In a major report on artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) – which power generative AI tools such as ChatGPT – The Lords Communications and Digital Committee said the technology would produce era-defining changes comparable with the invention of the internet.

However, it warned that the UK needed to rebalance its approach to the subject to also consider the opportunities AI can offer, otherwise it will lose its international influence and become strategically dependent on overseas tech firms for a technology which is expected to play a key role in daily life in the years to come.

It said that some of the “apocalyptic” concerns around threats to human existence from AI were exaggerated, and should not distract policy makers from responding to more immediate issues.

In the first of a regular spotlight on RADAR, we look at the stories the RADAR team has produced in the last month, sharing examples of the type of quality news stories that can be created fusing both AI automation and human journalism.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will enhance the threat posed by ransomware over the coming years, the UK’s cyber security agency has warned.

A new report from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – which is a part of GCHQ – said the technology is lowering the barrier of entry to novice cyber criminals.

As a result, AI is enabling unskilled online actors to carry out more effective cyber attacks, the report says.

The NCSC also warned that bad actors are using AI to better find and target victims, with its report concluding that the technology is already being used in what it called malicious cyber activity, and said it believed this will almost certainly increase the volume and impact of cyber attacks, including ransomware, in the near term.

The agency has previously identified ransomware as the biggest cyber threat facing the UK.

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