The UK government’s tech department has been accused of “downgrading” its safety and ethics standards in a blow to its relaunch of the AI Safety Institute as the AI Security Institute. 

London-based charity fact-checker Full Fact described the rebranding as “disappointing” due to the focal shift from bias and transparency to criminal and national security concerns. 

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said on Friday that the attached institute tasked with researching and advising AI safety issues will “not focus on bias or freedom of speech, but on advancing our understanding of the most serious risks posed by the technology”. 

The group’s primary areas of focus have become the potential use of AI by bad actors to develop chemical and biological weapons and preventing illegal AI-generated child pornography. It will also work more closely with the Ministry of Defence. 

According to Andrew Dudfield, head of AI at Full Fact, the move marks “another disappointing downgrade of ethical considerations in AI development that undermines the UK’s ability to lead the global conversation”.  

Dudfield said it was “simply incorrect” to not consider transparency and bias as key to the task of ensuring safe AI use. 

“Security and transparency are mutually reinforcing pillars essential to building public confidence in AI, not competing priorities. 

“If the Government pivots away from the issues of what data is used to train AI models it risks outsourcing those critical decisions to the most powerful internet platforms rather than exploring them in the democratic light of day.” 

Full Fact told UKTN it would be reaching out to the tech department and AI Security Institute following the announcement. 

UKTN has contacted DSIT for comment. 

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