‘Whoever controls information, controls the future’: MP Bob Seely says UK should block China from buying AI
The future of humanity hinges on how the West defends itself from cyber-attacks by Russia and China, Conservative MP Bob Seely has claimed.
This follows the breach of the data of around 40 million British voters, in which China is accused of carrying out in 2022.
Outlining the findings today, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden condemned the “malicious” attacks on Britain and said there was a “clear pattern of hostile activity from China”.
The two attacks, carried out by “China affiliate actors”, saw both the Electoral Commission and China-skeptical MPs targeted.
Dowden imposed sanctions on Zhao Guangzong, Ni Gaobin and the Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd, who they say work for the China state-affiliated cyber espionage group Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31 (APT31).
The Deputy Prime Minister made clear that the attacks “do not compromise the security of any upcoming elections”.
Speaking to GB News, MP Bob Seely warned that China and Russia have been trying to destabilise the UK by spreading disinformation and targeting individuals and sensitive information.
Seely told hosts Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce that we “have to defend our own information” and we have to be “much more robust” in our approach to China.
Seely explained: “There are two visions of the future of the world. There is effectively the Russia and Chinese vision, which is AI and big data will [mean] that murdering thugs will make revolutions against the state impossible.”
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He continued: “We want a future where AI and big data are used to fulfil and enable human life, but not to oppress humanity and not to oppress freedom of thought.”
In a discussion with Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce, he warned that people are being targeted by hostile states for different reasons.
Seely told GB News: “A politician, it could be to influence them to take a more benign line to China, somebody’s working in an Artificial Intelligence laboratory in Cambridge because you want to approach them maybe, or you’re building up a profile of them. You need the basic information.
“In future, it’s about AI and big data. So information, who controls information controls the future, that’s the Chinese approach.”
Seely also expressed his “frustration” with the Tory government, admitting that although he has “support for the most part”, the Conservatives “don’t have a coherent and consistent approach to China”.
Seely said: “We have to have an approach. When people say we can’t shut ourselves off to China, they’re right. We can’t, but we can be much more robust about putting down our own markers like the Australians do, and they still do big trade with China.
“We can do much more to protect ourselves…you don’t allow the Chinese to buy AI and big data. You do allow them to invest in less sensitive technology and there is nothing wrong with that.”