# UK must build its own AI or risk foreign cutoff

> The head of the Alan Turing Institute warns Britain cannot depend on foreign AI systems that could be switched off without notice.
- Title: UK must build its own AI or risk foreign cutoff · The Next Web
- Summary: The head of the Alan Turing Institute warns Britain cannot depend on foreign AI systems that could be switched off without notice. George Williamson, head of…
- Keywords: alan turing institute, george williamson, artificial intelligence, sovereign ai, national security, technology, startups, must, build, own, risk, foreign
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/alan-turing-institute-williamson-sovereign-ai-uk
- Author: Alina Maria Stan
- Published: 2026-10-10T15:14:35+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: alan turing institute, george williamson, uk, artificial intelligence, sovereign ai, national security, technology, startups
## UK risks relying on foreign AI
George Williamson, new head of the Alan Turing Institute, warns Britain must not depend on foreign AI systems that could be restricted or switched off without notice.

> We shouldn't depend solely on systems we can't inspect or control, or that could be restricted or even switched off.
## Critical sectors already rely on AI
Defence, national security, critical infrastructure and healthcare are now built on AI systems. Washington blocked foreign access to Anthropic's top models in June, showing the risk.

> Both political and commercial pressures mean we may not have access in all the circumstances when we want it.
## UK should build smaller national models
Williamson says the UK should develop AI it does not need permission to use. The institute will build smaller, nationally owned models for start-ups, focusing on national resilience.

> We can be ambitious here without trying to copy what frontier labs are doing.
## Key takeaway

George Williamson, head of the Alan Turing Institute, says the UK must develop its own AI systems for defence, security and healthcare rather than rely on foreign models that could be restricted or cut off.