Germany and the UK expand military cooperation on artificial intelligence, with a meeting on the plan set for 2027

The United Kingdom and Germany intend to jointly test and develop artificial intelligence for use by their armed forces, British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting announced.

In an article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ahead of talks with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius in Berlin this afternoon, Streeting said the joint cybersecurity project Cyber Lighthouse would be expanded to include AI.

He said testing, developing and ultimately deploying the technology in both countries’ armed forces would strengthen their cooperation and help ensure they do not fall behind those seeking to harm them.

How the plan will be implemented is to be decided at a meeting of government and industry representatives from both countries, scheduled for spring 2027. No specific AI systems, programs or budgets have been announced so far.

Streeting also said that since the two countries signed a defence pact in 2024, German companies have committed £800 million to the British defence industry.

Among them is Munich-based company Helsing. Last year, it opened a factory in Plymouth to produce uncrewed underwater vehicles equipped with artificial intelligence and designed to track enemy submarines.

AI’s role in warfare is growing. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that an arms race is already underway and called for legally binding rules on autonomous weapons systems.