Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Quin and Stuart Anderson

Monday 15th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Anderson (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)]

13. What steps his Department is taking to improve the technological capabilities of the armed forces.

[The Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin)]

Defence will invest at least £6.6 billion in research and development over the next four years in areas including space, directed energy weapons, and artificial intelligence. This will help to secure our military edge by ensuring that we can adopt modern technologies at scale and produce game-changing advantage.

[Stuart Anderson]

With the significant rise in AI being used in defence, what steps are being taken to ensure that there is transparency of calculations that show both an ethical and moral approach to defence?

[Jeremy Quin]

My hon. Friend asks a very good question that needs to be addressed. I am pleased to confirm that we are producing a defence AI strategy that will cover how we will get an operational advantage. That work is ongoing and it will be published in due course.