National security, risk and resilience

Crime, terrorism and conflict continue to evolve, blurring the boundaries between policing, resilience, defence and security. The policy questions in this space are urgent and vital because peace and stability are essential for progress on nearly all other policy areas including existential issues such as climate change.

CSaP Policy Fellows and Workshops have addressed different aspects of national security. In the past year, we have worked on radicalisation, threats, the potential impact of new technologies, investment and sustainability. In all cases, progress has relied on experts from academia and industry covering far more than the technology involved. Sociology, psychology, anthropology, criminology, literature, art and media have all provided key and often central insights. In working in this area, we have drawn on leading experts across the UK, drawing on our extended network.

We can see demand rising from the policy makers and a readiness to engage growing in academia, as they work to find safe, ethical and effective ways forward for peace and stability. CSaP is planning more activity in this area.

AI, democracy and mis/disinformation

We organised a Policy Workshop on AI, democracy and mis/disinformation in partnership with the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge. Discussions at the workshop focussed on the implications of AI-generated mis/disinformation on political discourse and democratic processes, as well as how these risks could be mitigated. The purpose of the workshop was to help gather a range of ideas for the future development of guidelines and guardrails on the responsible use of AI in political campaigns and communications, and to reflect on the potential challenges that such guidelines could trigger.

Synthetic environments

A Policy Workshop for the UK National Security community on the potential use and misuse of Synthetic Environments included discussions and a series of interactive sessions with experts from the University of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Cluster. The roundtable discussion provided an overview of current synthetic environments, their likely future evolution, and the risks and opportunities for national security. Discussions focussed on technologies which underpin the current range of synthetic environment products and services, including their current capabilities and vulnerabilities; how these technologies and their applications will likely evolve by 2030; and the current and future threats posed to the security of the UK and her allies.

The future of critical minerals supply chains

CSaP worked with the Energy Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge to convene a Policy Workshop to discuss the potential adverse impacts of mining for critical minerals, such as biodiversity loss, and to explore potential solutions.  We are increasingly moving to a world powered by critical minerals, for example, we need lithium, cobalt and graphite to make batteries for electric cars; silicon and tin for our electronics; and rare earth elements for electric cars and wind turbines. Resilience for the future: The UK’s critical minerals strategy sets out the UK government’s plans for improving the resilience of critical minerals supply chains and increasing our security of supply. Critical minerals will become even more important as the UK seeks to bolster its energy security and domestic industrial resilience.