UK procurement is too glacial to bring AI into defense, MPs told

Published on September 26, 2023

Projects take so long that tech is out of date before it enters service, industry says

The UK's military procurement processes are ill-suited to integrate rapidly evolving AI technologies, a parliamentary committee was informed. Andrew Kinniburgh, representing Make UK, a manufacturers' association with a defense subdivision that advocates for many SMEs, conveyed that the current procurement methods are outmoded and frequently take so long that by the time they're completed, AI technology has already advanced considerably. Large defense suppliers like BAE Systems, Babcock, and Raytheon Systems were described as often being slow in their response to procurement. Conversely, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) was praised for its agility in integrating new technologies into the defense sector. Kinniburgh also expressed concerns about the inaccessibility of innovation units within key military commands to SMEs, suggesting that they miss out on cutting-edge technology developments from these smaller entities.

Read More: https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/25/uk_procurement_ai_defense/

Other news

Nato’s €1bn venture fund offers defence start-ups an alternative to China

September 26, 2023
US-led military alliance to boost financial clout for companies from ‘multi-sovereign’ VC investorsNATO is backing a €1bn venture capital fund designed to support defense start-ups, thereby enhancing the technological capabilities of the US-led military alliance and countering China's influence. Initiated last year, the initiative seeks to address the funding void for companies developing military

USAF solicits ‘extreme computing' technology prototypes

September 27, 2023
The US Air Force (USAF) is seeking emerging technology prototypes from the industry to advance the integration of 'extreme computing' systems into USAF operations. The call for prototypes, issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), encompasses various technical domains such as computational diversity, efficient computing architectures, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) i