Bombay Durpun - UK sets up unit to combat disinformation from Russia, AI

A world where "the public find it hard to separate fact from fiction, propaganda from reality, is a dangerous place for a democracy to be," Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Radio 4.

The new centre will "mobilise trusted voices across civil society", he added.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans for the new National Centre for Information Defence in his speech at the UN gathering of world leaders on Tuesday.

"In recent years we have seen an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and that of many of our allies," said Burnham.

"Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people's fears," he said, repeating accusations that Moscow tried to interfere with Britain's 2019 general elections.

Russia has been suspected of meddling in UK politics before, including the divisive 2016 Brexit referendum. The previous Conservative government faced criticism for failing to investigate the allegations.

Burnham also accused Moscow of amplifying "far-right narratives" and stoking "tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events".

Burnham, who became leader of the Labour party and prime minister this summer, warned that disinformation and cyber attacks would be worsened by AI, as calls mount to regulate the fast-developing technology.

"As more elections approach across Europe, more nations are grappling with these issues," the UK leader added.

Burnham also told the UN General Assembly that Britain would take the lead on efforts to establish global AI standards. He announced an AI defence partnership with Washington to detect cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

R.Kohli--BD