Alan Turing institute launches new mission to protect UK from cyberattacks Internet The Guardian

pProgramme is designed to defend energy transport and utilities amid concern over vulnerability to internet outagesppBritains leading AI institute has announced a new mission to help protect the nation from cyberattacks on infrastructure including energy transport and utilities after it was embroiled in allegations of toxic work culture and the chief executive resigned amid ministerial pressureppThe Alan Turing Institute will carry out a programme of science and innovation designed to protect the UK from hostile threats it announced on Tuesday as part of changes following the resignation last month of Jean Innes its chief executive after a staff revolt and government calls for a strategic overhaul of the statefunded bodyppThe mission comes amid growing concern over Britains vulnerability to internet outages and cyberattacks after this months incident affecting Amazons cloud computing globally and recent cyberattacks crippling production at Jaguar Land Rover factories and supply chains at Marks Spencer and the CoopppBlythe Crawford the former commander of the UKs air and space warfare centre will report back next month on how the governmentfunded institute can best support the scale of government AI ambitions in defence national security and intelligenceppThe chair former Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr said 78 different research projects at the 440staff institute have been closed spun out or completed because they do not align with the new directionppThe institute has been beset by internal strife since last year as staff protested against changes culminating in a group of employees filing a whistleblower complaint to the Charity CommissionppGurr said in an interview with the BBC that the whistleblower claims were independently investigated by a third party that found them to have no substanceppThe institute was named after the mathematical genius who helped crack the Enigma code during the second world war and outlined key concepts of AI He also invented the eponymous test to determine if a computer can show human intelligenceppIt will also focus on deploying AI for the environment and health The institute will develop ways to use the fastadvancing technology to more rapidly and accurately forecast changes in weather oceans and sea ice in part to better inform UK government emergency planners It will also target tangible emissions reductions in transportation networks manufacturing processes and critical infrastructureppOn health it will focus on creating digital twins of human hearts a frontline of personalised AIenabled medicine which could improve medical interventions and patient outcomes for critically ill cardiac patientsp