AI Contracts - British Military

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Dear Matt,

Thank you for your request for information.

We require some clarification in order to continue processing your request. As UCL conducts a large volume of research and projects, on a wide variety of topics, we require a specific time period to search within. We also require some key-words for this search, to assist us in narrowing down the results to only information that is relevant to your request.

Kind regards,

Rowan Glover-Perrett
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Adviser
Data Protection Office
Office of the General Counsel
University College London
 
Tel:        020 3108 5446 (ext. 55446)
Email:    [email address]
 
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Dear Matt,

Thank you for your email.

We received clarification from you on 24 January providing the quoted details below. We have provided the relevant departments with that clarification and they have continued to work on your request based on the previous clarification.

Can I please check if you still require the information requested in your most recent email (dated 24 February)? If so, we will log this as a new FOI request.

"I am currently conducting research into on where Artificial Intelligence is currently being utilised in the British military. Therefore, with regards to, potential, awarded contracts to your university, this could range from work operating within:

AI Assisted Operation Planning (i.e, utilising AI as decision support tools to automate elements of operational planning and analysis) Large Language Models (LLMs) for Defence (i.e., enabling LLMs on core Defence systems and if so which defence systems) Cutting edge Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) (i.e., AI in drones, use of facial recognition, use of AI in landmine clearances etc.) AI in Wargaming and other training exercises

Additionally, as my research does not specify a branch of the military, I would appreciate contracts from the MoD department more broadly. This may mean the AWE, the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre, Defence AI and Autonomy Unit (DAU), the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) etc.,

I think a good timeframe would be from when the Defence Artificial Intelligence was introduced, which would be June 2022 to current on going contracts/projects".

Kind regards,

Rowan Glover-Perrett
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Adviser
Data Protection Office
Office of the General Counsel
University College London
 
Tel:        020 3108 5446 (ext. 55446)
Email:    [email address]
 
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
 
Confidentiality and Legal Privilege: The contents of this email and its attachment(s) are confidential to the intended recipient and may be legally privileged. They are not to be disclosed, copied, forwarded, used or relied upon by any person other than the intended addressee. If you believe that you have received the e-mail and its attachment(s) in error, you must not take any action based on them and you must not copy or show them to anyone. Please respond to the sender and delete this email and its attachment(s) from your system.

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Dear Matt,

Thank you for your request for information made under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) 2000. I apologise for the delay in the provision of
this response.

We confirm that we hold information of the description specified in your
request, please see our response below.

Your request

Specifically, I would like to know whether University College London has
received any government contracts related to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
for the British military.

Could you please provide details of any such contracts, including the
contract value, duration, and the specific nature of the AI research or
projects involved?

You provided the following clarification of the information you require:

I am currently conducting research into on where Artificial Intelligence
is currently being utilised in the British military. Therefore, with
regards to, potential, awarded contracts to your university, this could
range from work operating within:

AI Assisted Operation Planning (i.e, utilising AI as decision support
tools to automate elements of operational planning and analysis) Large
Language Models (LLMs) for Defence (i.e., enabling LLMs on core Defence
systems and if so which defence systems) Cutting edge Robotic and
Autonomous Systems (RAS) (i.e., AI in drones, use of facial recognition,
use of AI in landmine clearances etc.) AI in Wargaming and other training
exercises

Additionally, as my research does not specify a branch of the military, I
would appreciate contracts from the MoD department more broadly. This may
mean the AWE, the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre, Defence AI and
Autonomy Unit (DAU), the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) etc.,

I think a good timeframe would be from when the Defence Artificial
Intelligence was introduced, which would be June 2022 to current on going
contracts/projects.

Our response

We estimate that to comply with the request would exceed the appropriate
costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of information Act 2000
(FOIA), which is currently set at £450 (equivalent to 18 hours work) by
virtue of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate
Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. UCL doesn’t categorise its research
activity thematically, and to identify if any project included activity
fitting the parameters of this request would require us to read the
research proposal submitted to the funder, for each potentially relevant
contract.  Any particular project can have numerous contracts associated
with it, which increases the complexity of determining whether the project
is relevant, and increases the time required to collate the requested
details in cases where the contract is seen to be potentially relevant.
Any information extracted from this search will require further reviews
and verification involving various different departments for each
individual case. UCL conducts a large volume of research, across a broad
range of topics involving over 6000 research staff, and we estimate that
gathering the requested details would take more than 18 hours, which would
thus exceed the appropriate costs limit.

Section 12(1) states that a public authority does not need to “…comply
with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of
complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.” The
section 12(1) exemption applies because we estimate that, to locate,
retrieve and extract the data, would take longer than 18 hours to complete
for the reasons given above.

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Kind regards,

Rowan Glover-Perrett

Data Protection and Freedom of Information Adviser

Data Protection Office

Office of the General Counsel

University College London

Tel:        020 3108 5446 (ext. 55446)

Email:    [5][email address]

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

Confidentiality and Legal Privilege: The contents of this email and its
attachment(s) are confidential to the intended recipient and may be
legally privileged. They are not to be disclosed, copied, forwarded, used
or relied upon by any person other than the intended addressee. If you
believe that you have received the e-mail and its attachment(s) in error,
you must not take any action based on them and you must not copy or show
them to anyone. Please respond to the sender and delete this email and its
attachment(s) from your system.

References

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