UK Minister Tells Turing AI Institute To Focus On Defense

UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has written to the UK's national institute for AI to tell its bosses to refocus on defense and security. BBC: In a letter, Kyle said boosting the UK's AI capabilities was "critical" to national security and should be at the core of the Alan Turing Institute's activities. Kyle suggested the institute should overhaul its leadership team to reflect its "renewed purpose."

The cabinet minister said further government investment in the institute would depend on the "delivery of the vision" he had outlined in the letter. A spokesperson for the Alan Turing Institute said it welcomed "the recognition of our critical role and will continue to work closely with the government to support its priorities." Further reading, from April: Alan Turing Institute Plans Revamp in Face of Criticism and Technological Change.

Ya no.

[ndsurvivor]

I vowed to use my skills for good, and not evil.

Clearly a Spy

[Roger W Moore]

You should absolutely refuse such a request because if a UK minister is telling you to focus on "defense" they are clearly a foreign spy. The english word is defence.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

To me transistors and software is such a powerful thing. It is not the power of Dictators, it is the power of...Scientists.. and may I say it? The power of Gods.

Nerds run the world now

[commodore73]

This is what I don't understand. The techs now run the world. The world is descending into ever-greater evil. Do the nerds not have spines, do they not realize what they are doing, are they just greedy, or why are we allowing the level of corruption to increase constantly? I mean, we nerds are building the surveillance state to surveil...us? For money?

Turing institute....

[ndsurvivor]

Is that named after the guy who basically gave us computer science, and then the English attacked him for being gay? I think he committed suicide. It is a pattern that is repeating in the USA.

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[ndsurvivor]

Look up Alan Turing. I am a geek and not an AI.

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[ArchieBunker]

Bletchley Park is on my list of places to visit. They demonstrate the Bombe machine and do a pretty good explanation of how it’s able to brute force Enigma.

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[ndsurvivor]

Kudo's and respect.

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[ArchieBunker]

Correct. One of the most brilliant people who ever lived and also an incredible athlete. He was responsible for ending WW2 early. But he was gay so they threw him in jail. But it’s all cool because decades later the queen apologized and they put his face on a coin.

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[ndsurvivor]

it is not cool in my humble opinion. thank you very much for chiming in on the discussion. Respect.

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[gtall]

Have you investigated the concept of sarcasm recently? I commend you to it.

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[martin-boundary]

Nonsense. Turing was not responsible for ending WW2 early. Please watch less Hollywood movies with Dr Strange and Sherlock etc.

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[ndsurvivor]

I read your post over and over again, and I just want a hamburger. You have no point.

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[ArchieBunker]

Alan Turing would be considered a DEI hire today.

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[ndsurvivor]

I am not sure many people would know who Turing is today, nor what he contributed to their lives. Much like Nikola Tesla.

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[Rinnon]

There was a pretty popular (I think... I had to look it up [but I'm a nerd so I have no pop-cred anyways]) movie from 2014 "The Imitation Game" about Alan Turn staring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. A lot of people I knew, who were definitely not nerds, were talking about it and also how great Alan Turing was, so it might be that more people know who he is than you'd ordinarily think (which is great).

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[ndsurvivor]

hugs. I hear you, and I understand you, although I do not want to know you and I do not want anything to do with you. Nothing personal.

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[greytree]

Back then, he was hired for his skills and not for his sexuality.

Which is how it should have stayed.

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[gtall]

hmmm.....you are really Stephen Miller in real life, yes? Here's a test. Look in the mirror. If you cannot see your own reflection, then you are Stephen Miller. If you can, then maybe some meds could help you.

This should be good.

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I always look to people with degrees in 'community development' to tell me whether there are enough spooks in my computer science or not; it's just good sense.

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[ndsurvivor]

my mistake, maybe I am too "woke".

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[Rinnon]

I thought spooks were spys? (looks it up) Oh, I see. It could be either.

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[ndsurvivor]

I have no problem with that at all. I have a problem with an American Dictator who points at people and attacks his personal police department at them.

Hmmm

[paul_engr]

A man with no actual technological credentials offering piss poor advice

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[Rinnon]

A man with no actual technological credentials offering piss poor advice

Sounds like an elected official doing their job to me.

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[ndsurvivor]

the UK minister seems to have no actual creds.

AI arms race

[ZipNada]

They've been getting services from Palantir, which probably has given them a pretty good idea as to just how powerful AI can when it comes to fighting an adversary;
"What that means in practice is that we are now in an AI arms race against our adversaries. And the government is right that we need to put all the resources we have into staying ahead - because that is our best path to preserving peace."

I don't know if it preserves peace but you definitely need to have some skin in the game or someone else's even more powerful AI will eat you up.

Tells? No.

[nospam007]

The minister does not have direct legal authority to command the Alan Turing Institute to change leadership or mission.
Here's why:

The Alan Turing Institute (ATI) is an independent research organisation. It’s publicly funded, but not a government department. That means ministers like Peter Kyle can:

– set broad funding conditions
– suggest policy priorities
– threaten future funding adjustments

but they cannot legally compel the ATI to adopt a specific internal structure or research direc