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The UK faces a cyber threat that is growing in scale, speed and sophistication. Attacks from hostile states, organised crime and others are increasingly disrupting services, harming businesses and exposing sensitive data. Frontier AI is accelerating this trend, says the UK official NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre).
The NCSC says it envisages a world where cyber defence is supported by ‘red’ and ‘blue’ agents which identify weaknesses in systems (‘red’) and defend against threats in real time (‘blue’). The NCSC proposes a ‘Cyber Shield vision’. More on the NCSC’s blog.
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Kevin Marriott, Senior Director of Cyber Content Strategy and IP at Immersive welcomed the government embrace of AI. He said: “The test will be in how they optimise the utilisation and ensure it is utilised where it can bring value and return on investment. It would also be beneficial to hear how they plan to deal with the output from the frontier models, and whether they put robust practices in place which enable them to deal with the outputs. For example, if a large-scale vulnerability scanner is implemented, what happens to the findings? Are they actioned, prioritised and resolved, or do they simply disappear into the abyss?
“Equally important is how the time savings are being reinvested. Are they enabling existing teams to do more, such as taking a more proactive approach to threat hunting and strengthening cyber resilience? If this is part of a well-considered strategy, it represents a significant step forward. If, however, it is a move towards ungoverned AI without clear oversight or a defined plan for where and how it should be used, then it is not.”
Rik Ferguson, Vice President of Security Intelligence at the cyber platform Forescout described the Cyber Shield proposal as feeling like a logical and necessary step, especially if we view it through the lens of “Assume Autonomy.” He said: “The core assumption should no longer be that autonomous cyberattacks are a distant or speculative problem. We should assume that adversaries will increasingly use AI agents to automate reconnaissance, vulnerability discovery, exploit development, credential attacks, lateral movement, and adaptation once inside an environment.
“That changes the defensive equation. Human-speed security operations will struggle against machine-speed discovery and exploitation, particularly across critical infrastructure, healthcare, government, and other nationally important systems. A national-scale AI cyber shield is therefore not just about adding AI to existing security workflows. It is about building defensive systems that can detect, prioritise, and help contain threats at the same tempo at which AI-enabled attackers can operate.
“That said, autonomy in defence should be treated carefully. The opportunity is strongest where AI can improve visibility, correlation, triage, exposure management, and early intervention. The risk comes when automated systems act without sufficient context, governance, or operational guardrails. In critical environments, especially OT, medical, and public-sector systems, the wrong defensive action can be as disruptive as the attack itself.
“So, I would see Cyber Shield as directionally right, but its success will depend on a few things: trusted data-sharing between government and industry, clear accountability for automated decisions, strong safeguards around response actions, and a realistic understanding of legacy and operational environments. AI can help defenders move faster, but it cannot compensate for poor asset visibility, weak segmentation, unpatched systems, or unclear ownership of cyber risk.”
See also the Forescout blog.
