The Ministry of Defence has released a new corporate report outlining how the department is embedding ethical and accountable governance across its use of artificial intelligence in line with the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.
The document, titled Laying the Groundwork – Responsible AI Senior Officers’ Report 2025, sets out progress made by the Ministry since the creation of the Dependable AI JSP 936 Part 1 framework last year. That policy established the foundations for safe, transparent and lawful adoption of AI across the armed forces and defence enterprise.
According to the report, each major organisation within the MoD has now appointed a Responsible AI Senior Officer (RAISO) to oversee compliance with AI ethical principles and ensure that all AI-enabled systems are developed and deployed with appropriate safeguards.
The RAISO framework requires each organisation to demonstrate that their systems address a set of ethical and operational considerations including fairness, accountability, robustness, and human oversight.
The officers are also responsible for ensuring clear escalation routes exist if concerns arise over the use or development of AI systems.
The report notes that this marks the beginning of a longer-term process to integrate AI into “business-as-usual” activities across Defence while maintaining public trust. It emphasises the department’s dual mission: to harness new technologies that improve operational effectiveness, while ensuring their use remains aligned with the UK’s ethical and legal standards.
The MoD stated that as the UK increases its fighting readiness under the Strategic Defence Review, “innovations in AI and digital warfare will be key to making our armed forces stronger and safer”. However, it added that “good governance is fundamental to delivering a societally acceptable culture of Responsible AI”.
Flipping heck, what a load of Faff, no wonder we can’t buy any hardware.