D3IP expo delves into the future of autonomy
Agentic AI, the ethical dilemma posed by autonomous systems, and the future threat landscapes of an autonomous world… Those were just some of the themes being discussed as D3IP staged its inaugural Autonomy Unleashed expo.
Nearly 200 guests from across the defence, law enforcement, and national security sectors attended the insightful event, which was hosted at the BattleLab, Dorset Innovation Park. Industry partners, D3IP customers, and experts from each of the three sectors attended Autonomy Unleashed, which included thought-provoking panels, insightful sessions, and innovative organisations showcasing their latest technologies and services.
The highlight of the agenda was the keynote panel focusing on ethics and accountability (pictured), which included panellists Peter Lee, Professor of Applied Ethics at University of Portsmouth; Anna Dowle, a risk management expert working with the British Army; and Reece Oliver, Experimentation Team Lead at NavyX.
The panel, moderated by D3IP Initiative Lead Stuart Ship, explored the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems, which are becoming more prevalent particularly within the defence realm. The trio sought to investigate accountability, transparency, and responsible deployment practices across various domains, as well as delving into the broader implications of ethical considerations of autonomous technology.
A selection of quotes from the session.
Prof. Peter Lee: “If a potential adversary is developing AI & autonomous weapons systems at a level humans cannot normally interact, intercept & defeat, then there is an imperative to create a defence system that can at least match that as a minimum. But then we also know that if we create a defence system with that kind of kinetic capability – and Iron Dome in Israel has been publicised quite a lot in recent weeks – we all know it doesn’t take very much to turn that from a defensive to an offence system… The ethics of it all is highly moveable.”
Anna Dowle: “It’s the supply chain: where are the chips coming from? Have they been interfered with?… You’re looking at some of the big companies, they could be buying items from seven or eight vendors down. They have no idea where it’s coming from. I think one of the things we need to do in this country is start doing a bit more of our manufacturing. We cannot allow ourselves to be reliant on these systems if we don’t know exactly what has gone into it.
Reece Oliver: “We obviously want to progress this technology to a position where humans are less in the loop and that then means we have to front-load the assurance. But it’s not just software, it’s also all the data that we feed that software with. We then have to explore the software, and then we have to explore the outputs… What we’re then throwing on top is another complicated layer of a system that essentially changes every day and the day you assure it; it will be different to the next day.”