MPs are warning the UK has no "coherent strategy" for creating sovereign capabilities across a range of technologies, including AI, space, and quantum computing.

A report published Tuesday by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee says the UK is in a global race for sovereign tech capabilities, with AI emerging as a "central arena" for competition and collaboration.

A recent move by the US government to restrict some of Anthropic's AI models "should be a powerful reminder that the UK may not be able to count on even its allies for access to vital technology," the committee states.

In June, the US effectively ordered Anthropic to suspend access to its Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models for foreign nationals under an export control directive. The restrictions were later lifted.

Nonetheless, the committee's report warns that those restrictions highlighted the risk of relying on allies for access to technologies that are critical to economic growth and national security. The UK must protect its tech sovereignty and set out realistic ambitions for sovereign capabilities in key sectors like AI, quantum, and space.

Committee chair Dame Chi Onwurah said: "As geopolitics is turned upside down and the world becomes increasingly competitive, we must be able to leverage our world-class science and research to advance our diplomatic and economic goals. Without a clear plan, the government will be unable to achieve this.

"This failure risks undermining the UK's tech sovereignty. There is a global race for sovereignty in technologies like AI, whether the government recognizes it or not, and leverage may not be sufficient to achieve this. The government needs a realistic plan to achieve sovereign capabilities in critical areas or risk having its access cut off at the whim of its partners."

While the report says the government must set out an approach to tech sovereignty, it does not recommend the UK builds its own foundation models for generative AI.

"As AI and other technologies develop fast and in unpredictable directions – and play an increasingly central role in national security – it is essential to ensure that the UK cannot be cut off from key technologies at the whim of a foreign government," the report says. "This could mean diversifying partnerships to ensure multiple points of access where possible, and thinking creatively about sources of leverage outside a specific tech stack, or outside tech altogether."

It calls on the government to set out how it intends to protect sovereignty in AI, particularly in the face of fast-changing geopolitical and technological developments. It should work with industry and academia to define sovereign capability, and analyze tech supply chains to identify critical components, dependencies, and areas of comparative UK strength.

Earlier this year, the EU set out plans for digital sovereignty in an effort to address weaknesses in AI, cloud, and semiconductors. Its plan includes provisions to use public procurement to promote investment in sovereign capabilities. ®