In an interview, Williamson warned that the UK should not rely solely on AI systems it cannot inspect, control, or that could be limited by political or commercial pressures. He pointed to recent US actions, including a temporary block on the release of Anthropic's latest models outside the country and reported requests that leading AI labs withhold their models from testing by the UK's AI Security Institute until US counterparts have examined them.
"We've seen now that both political and commercial pressures mean we may not have access [to AI] in all the circumstances when we want it. That is not a place where a nation wants to be," Williamson said.
The institute, the UK's leading AI research body, is under new leadership after the government demanded a strategic shift. Williamson, former head of the UK's Government Communications Centre, said the Turing Institute would focus on securing critical systems against disruption, countering threats from AI itself, and shaping the right strategic AI capability for the country.
He said the institute could help produce AI uses "for the public good," including weather forecasting, farming and monitoring state-led disinformation campaigns. "It's very dangerous for the state of democracy and it's an area that we can monitor," he added.
Williamson's comments come amid growing concern over geopolitical risks. Last month, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a new national centre to tackle state-backed disinformation, and Anthropic researchers have warned that AI has a greater than 10% chance of causing human extinction by 2030.