British Cyber Code Of Practice For Developing AI

Uploaded on 2025-02-12 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, NEWS-Cybersecurity News, FREE TO VIEW

The British government has lunched its AI Cyber Code of Practice for companies developing AI systems. The voluntary framework outlines 13 principles designed to mitigate risks such as AI-driven cyber attacks, system failures, and data vulnerabilities.

The government says it will form the basis of a global standard for securing the technology, through the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

The code applies to developers, system operators, and data custodians at organisations that create, deploy, or manage AI systems. AI vendors that only sell models or components fall under other relevant guidelines.

“From securing AI systems against hacking and sabotage, to ensuring they are developed and deployed in a secure way, the Code will help developers build secure, innovative AI products that drive growth,” the Dept for Science, Innovation and Tech published a press release.

“British businesses will benefit from a world-first cyber security standard which will protect AI systems from cyber-attacks, securing the digital economy,” it said.

Recommendations include implementing AI security training programmes, developing recovery plans, carrying out risk assessments, maintaining inventories, and communicating with end-users about how their data is being used.

The Code’s publication comes just a few weeks after the British Government published the AI Opportunities Action Plan which outlines fifty ways it will build out the AI sector and turn the country into a “world leader.” And growing AI talent is a important part of this plan.

The Principles are as Follows:

Raise awareness of AI security threats and risks through staff training.

Design AI systems for security, functionality and performance.

Evaluate/model threats and manage risks related to use of AI.

Enable human responsibility for AI systems.

Identify, track and protect assets, including interdependencies/connectivity.

Secure infrastructure including APIs, models, data, and training and processing pipelines.

Secure the software supply chain.

Conduct appropriate testing and evaluation.

Document data, models and prompts with a clear audit trail of system design and post-deployment maintenance plans.

Improving British Cyber Security

This Code’s release comes just after the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre told software vendors to remove vulnerabilities, which are serious problems with mitigations that are, for example, cheap and well-documented, and are therefore easy to implement.

Britian has also launched a new International Coalition on Cyber Security Workforces, partnering with Canada, Dubai, Ghana, Japan, and Singapore. The coalition is committed to address the cyber security skills gap. Members of the coalition pledged to align their approaches to cyber security workforce development, adopt common terminology, share best practices and challenges, and maintain an ongoing dialogue.

As women only make-up 25% of cyber security professionals, improvement in training to produce more female cyber security professionals are clearly needed.

Cyber Code Matters For Businesses

Recent research shows that 87% of UK businesses aren’t ready fro cyber attacks, with almost all experiencing at least one cyber incident in the last year. Moreover, only 54% of UK IT professionals are confident in their ability to recover their company’s data after an attack.

In December 2024, the head of UK’s National Cyber Security Centre warned that the UK’s cyber risks are widely underestimated. While the AI Cyber Code of Practice remains voluntary, businesses are encouraged to proactively adopt these security measures to safeguard their AI systems and reduce exposure to cyber threats.

SC Magazine

Image: Steve Johnson

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The British Government’s AI Action Plan:

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