James Stewart interviews Viscount Camrose at CYBERUK 2023.

## Overview James Stewart interviews Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property at DSIT (Department of Science Innovation and Technology) with responsibility for cyber security, at CYBERUK 2023 in Belfast. The conversation covers government cyber security priorities, the health of the UK cyber ecosystem, and emerging threats from artificial intelligence.

## Event Context The conference drew over 2,000 attendees to Belfast. DSIT announced £300 million in investment in the cyber security sector this year, reflecting significant sector growth that contributes to the broader UK economy.

## DSIT Cyber Security Priorities Camrose outlined three main priorities:

1. **Protecting at Source and at Scale**: Connected devices should meet minimum online safety standards that consumers can understand and compare. The government must operate agilely and at scale to respond to emerging technologies, such as AI, which has rapidly moved into the spotlight.

2. **Managing Residual Risk**: Both large and small organizations must understand and manage their own risks. A successful attack on critical national infrastructure—such as a health system or utility—could cost approximately 1.5% of national GDP, representing an absolute crisis to avoid. Smaller organizations and charities must also be cyber-aware to protect their own assets and those of their customers and donors.

3. **Building a Talent Pipeline**: Camrose emphasized encouraging young people into cyber security careers through programs like CyberFirst, noting encouraging engagement during his time in Belfast.

## AI and Cyber Security Implications Camrose discussed how AI disrupts the traditional equilibrium between cyber attack and defense. Historically, defense held a slight advantage except for the human factor. AI strengthens defense by improving pattern detection and hardware Trojan identification, but simultaneously strengthens attack capabilities. Large language models, particularly ChatGPT, excel at deceiving humans into believing they are human themselves. A specific concern is that LLMs can generate sophisticated spear-phishing and mass phishing emails at scale, representing an emerging threat that requires close monitoring to understand how it shifts the attack-defense balance.

## Takeaways The government recognizes cyber security as critical national infrastructure requiring significant investment and attention. Smaller organizations lag in cyber awareness and require targeted support. The rapid advancement of AI presents both defensive opportunities and offensive risks that demand ongoing vigilance and agile policy responses.