The UK government has declined to disclose which artificial intelligence (AI) program is being used to assist in the analysis of submissions for the ongoing Strategic Defence Review (SDR), citing a public interest in favour of withholding the information.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) query from Army Technology, the SDR Secretariat declined to state which AI was being used as its release “would likely prejudice current and future strategy development and operational capability”.
Of five specific queries, three regarded information that was being withheld in accordance with Section 22, Section 26(1)(b), and Section 43(2) on grounds of qualified exemption.
The FoI questions posed by Army Technology sought information on the AI program being used, the company which owns the program, and the value of the contract for SDR analysis.
However, the SDR Secretariat did respond to queries regarding the operating structure of the AI in its analysis of SDR submissions, stating that it was performing its function “within a segregated cloud architecture (e.g, virtual private cloud)” that was “isolated” from broader organisational systems and external networks.
“This compartmentalised structure ensures that operations remain independent, with no direct connectivity to other internal programs or the wider digital architecture. By maintaining this closed environment, we enhance data security and integrity whilst following robust data protection practices,” the SDR Secretariat’s response read.
AI use in UK defence review
In October 2024 it was revealed that the UK was using AI to assist in the analysis of thousands of responses into the future SDR), which is due to report in 2025 amid the potential for cuts to key defence procurement programmes amid a claimed £22bn ($27.8bn) black hole in the country’s public finances.
Disclosing the use of AI on 15 October, Minster for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said it was “helping” to “comprehend and analyse over 8,000 responses across the propositions, totalling over 2.2 million words”.
Pollard said that the use of AI was “enhancing” the SDR team’s ability to “focus on complex tasks”, such as applying “robust challenge” to submissions through panel sessions during October and November this year.
“AI is not a replacement for human judgment, but an enabler of greater efficiency and one part of facilitating a more comprehensive review process. Decisions on drafting are solely made by the reviewers: Lord George Robertson, General Sir Richard Barrons and Dr Fiona Hill,” said Pollard.
The UK government confirmed on 15 October that over 1,700 individuals and organisations responded to the SDR request for comment, providing more than 8,000 answers across 23 propositions.
Respondents included serving and retired members of the UK military, the defence industry, the public, academics, members of the UK parliament, as well as UK allies and partners, including Nato.
GlobalData: AI sector growth “explosive”
Business and news analytics company GlobalData has projected generative AI to grow from $1.8bn in 2022 to $33.0bn as the rise in use of such technology continues to increase, particularly in areas such as data analytics.
Generative AI sees the creation of video, text, and images by AI models when presented with a dataset or prompt, with the most common example of its kind OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chat program.
Manish Dixit, practice head of disruptive tech at GlobalData, said that the AI sector was experiencing “explosive growth”, driven by unprecedented levels of investment and the emergence of new players in the industry.
“The successful implementation of [hybrid neural architectures and cognitive systems] will fundamentally reshape decision-making, operational efficiency, and strategy across industries,” Dixit said.
Across the defence sector, AI has cemented its position as one of the most crucial technologies for the coming battlespace and is already being used in areas such as data analysis and mission operations.
