Friday, November 03, 2023
Is A.I. the current problem?
While Rishi Sunak spends his time hobnobbing with Elon Musk and worrying about the possible repercussions of Artificial Intelligence, his real problem appears to be the state of the government's ICT estate.
The Independent reports that the Prime Minister has been warned that the government’s ageing computer systems are an “accident waiting to happen” – as ministers admitted they do not know the cost of patching up old IT. There is concern that systems from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s could be increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attack:
The Cabinet Office could not say exactly how many of the “legacy” systems in the NHS and other departments are risky, outdated or defunct.
And the government also conceded it did not know how much was being spent on keeping them running across Whitehall and elsewhere.
Labour pointed to recent government data showing that almost 12,000 NHS computers are still using outdated Windows 7 systems, leaving them potentially vulnerable to hackers.
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle told The Independent: “Rishi Sunak’s failure to keep the government’s tech up to date is an accident waiting to happen.”
“After 13 years of Tory government, Britain is still using 20th century computer systems for essential public services,” the frontbencher added.
“During the AI summit, it’s crucial we know how vulnerable these systems are to cyber-attacks and if they will prevent us using AI to improve public services.”
The 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which targeted PCs running Windows, hit the NHS at an estimated cost of £92m.
The government’s “legacy” IT systems includes those critical for national security, like the Police National Computer – which helps polices solve crimes and keep the public safe – introduced back in 1974.
Other legacy systems include the Pension Services Computer System, brought in back in 1988, which left 134,000 pensioners short of their pension payments totalling over £1bn.
This failure to invest in up-to-date and secure systems is part of of the phenomenon highlighted by the Institute for Government of public services being stuck in a “doom loop” of recurring crises as a result of ministers’ short-term policymaking, which I blogged on here.
We can no longer make do and mend. We need modern, properly-financed public services staffed by properly remunerated employees and we need the investment to deliver them now, not at some unspecified time in the future.
The Independent reports that the Prime Minister has been warned that the government’s ageing computer systems are an “accident waiting to happen” – as ministers admitted they do not know the cost of patching up old IT. There is concern that systems from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s could be increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attack:
The Cabinet Office could not say exactly how many of the “legacy” systems in the NHS and other departments are risky, outdated or defunct.
And the government also conceded it did not know how much was being spent on keeping them running across Whitehall and elsewhere.
Labour pointed to recent government data showing that almost 12,000 NHS computers are still using outdated Windows 7 systems, leaving them potentially vulnerable to hackers.
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle told The Independent: “Rishi Sunak’s failure to keep the government’s tech up to date is an accident waiting to happen.”
“After 13 years of Tory government, Britain is still using 20th century computer systems for essential public services,” the frontbencher added.
“During the AI summit, it’s crucial we know how vulnerable these systems are to cyber-attacks and if they will prevent us using AI to improve public services.”
The 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which targeted PCs running Windows, hit the NHS at an estimated cost of £92m.
The government’s “legacy” IT systems includes those critical for national security, like the Police National Computer – which helps polices solve crimes and keep the public safe – introduced back in 1974.
Other legacy systems include the Pension Services Computer System, brought in back in 1988, which left 134,000 pensioners short of their pension payments totalling over £1bn.
This failure to invest in up-to-date and secure systems is part of of the phenomenon highlighted by the Institute for Government of public services being stuck in a “doom loop” of recurring crises as a result of ministers’ short-term policymaking, which I blogged on here.
We can no longer make do and mend. We need modern, properly-financed public services staffed by properly remunerated employees and we need the investment to deliver them now, not at some unspecified time in the future.
