Leading AI body to focus on protecting the UK from cyber-attacks

Britain’s leading AI institute has announced a mission to help protect the nation from cyber-attacks after it was embroiled in allegations of a toxic work culture and its chief executive resigned amid ministerial pressure.

- Robert Booth UK technology editor

The Alan Turing Institute will “carry out a programme of science and innovation designed to protect the UK from hostile threats”, it said yesterday. The move is part of changes made after the resignation of Jean Innes, the institute's chief executive, last month after a staff revolt and government calls for a strategic overhaul of the state-funded body.

The mission to protect infrastructure including energy, transport and utilities comes amid growing concern over Britain's vulnerability to internet outages, such as those that recently affected Amazon's cloud computing globally, and cyber-attacks like the one that has hit Jaguar Land Rover factories.