Artificial intelligence is the future of war and the UK must invest in it to "punch its weight", a former national security adviser has said.
Lord Mark Sedwill told peers AI was "the future of defence capability" but it wouldn't be 'Terminator' or 'The Matrix'-style robots.
Instead, autonomous weapons could be used defensively, such as to shoot down missiles, he said.
Lord Sedwill, who is now a non-executive director of defence firm BAE Systems, said: "If you think of the counterinsurgency campaigns of the past 20 years … in those cases there will be systems with some autonomous capabilities – supporting the troops on the ground, identifying threats and so on – but in the end, we will still need people to engage with other people in order to achieve our objectives.
"So it's easy, I think, to get caught up in a kind of Terminator, Matrix world, as one is thinking about this – but actually, it's going to be a much, a much broader spectrum of usage."
He said the key was to invest in the technology, adding: "For this country to punch our weight in military terms over the next 25 to 50 years we should really be investing in this area and that also means being able to invest probably in a way that has a higher risk appetite than traditionally government investment does.
"This is going to be the future of defence capability and the UK needs to be at the forefront of that."
It comes amid mounting alarm over the threat from AI technology.
Rishi Sunak's top tech adviser warned world leaders had just two years to get a grip on the rapidly developing field - and said a deadly weapon or cyber attacks could "kill many humans".
Matt Clifford, who is helping the prime minister set up the Government’s AI taskforce, said policymakers should be prepared for threats such as cyberattacks or creation of bioweapons.
Mr Sunak, who has announced the UK will host the first global summit on AI, has said Britain was "well-placed" to take a leading role in how the technology is regulated.
Speaking to broadcasters during his trip to Washington DC, Mr Sunak said: "I think that UK is well-placed to take a leadership role in shaping the conversation about how we regulate AI so that we can enjoy its benefits, which clearly there are many, but do so in a way that protects our countries and citizens, and make sure it is used safely and securely.
"The UK is research-based, (has the) companies - everything points to us.
"Our ability to move quickly, to put regulation in place, is really important in an industry and technology that itself is changing very rapidly.
"I'll be discussing that with President Biden today. I'm delighted the US is supporting our summit. I've also spoken to the companies involved about this when I convened them in Downing Street a few weeks ago.
"I think they're also keen to support the UK in helping to develop what needs to be a global architecture for regulation ultimately."
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