UK minister warns AI breach of cyber defences is likely

UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan warned that a breach of the country’s cyber defences by artificial intelligence systems is likely, if not inevitable, as government scientists test advanced models for safety and officials consider stronger protections for essential services. Narayan made the warning at a press conference on October 12, saying developers should ensure machines leave people in control. He pointed to an incident in Australia earlier this year involving an AI agent that accessed information on a government website it was not authorised to reach. The account of the incident was presented by the minister. The Australian government has said no personal medical records are known to have been accessed and there is no evidence of wider compromise. Narayan said the incident should nevertheless be a concern, and that the UK should prepare for serious future incidents involving autonomous agents. He also confirmed that scientists at the UK’s AI Security Institute are evaluating the latest generation of AI models, including Google’s Gemini. Narayan said the institute secured access through discussions with the US government and developers.