The VCNDP is pleased to announce the publication of three new papers, addressing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on nuclear energy, the nuclear supply chain, and the legal framework for nuclear security. These three papers, commissioned as part of the project on Nuclear Security and the Nuclear Supply Chain in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, provide useful information for nuclear professionals in diplomacy, policy-making, and industry, who are navigating the link between AI and nuclear at different levels of AI literacy.
Past, Present, and Future Applications of AI in the Nuclear Sector is a summary of a range of current and future AI applications in civil nuclear, from reactor design and defect detection to predictive maintenance, and disaster response. Rich in technical detail and policy-relevant conclusions, the paper highlights the significant effort and investment necessary to overcome AI implementation challenges, from data protection to connectivity solutions. The paper also explains how AI could create new nuclear safety and security gaps and how approaches to AI governance could help to mitigate them.
Additionally, the paper delivers insights from a survey conducted among the nuclear industry, academia, and nuclear regulators on attitudes, successes, and challenges in integrating AI into civil nuclear.
The paper was authored by Donald Dudenhoeffer, a senior cyber security consultant with 35 years of experience in the nuclear and security sectors.
The paper is also the first product of a partnership between the VCDNP and the Austrian Institute for Technology (AIT) and includes a joint foreword by Dr. Helmut Leopold, Head of the AIT Center for Digital Safety & Security, and VCDNP Executive Director Elena K. Sokova.
Counterfeiting, Artificial Intelligence, and Supply Chains in the Nuclear Sector presents new insights on how AI could raise nuclear safety and security risks by facilitating counterfeiting and fraud across the supply chain for nuclear facilities, but also highlights how AI could enhance the detection of counterfeit items and fraudulent suppliers. The paper provides illustrative case studies on the risks posed by sophisticated counterfeit items and software as well as falsified supplier documentation and safety certificates - all enhanced with the help of AI.
The paper was co-authored by Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Professor in Science and International Security at King’s College London and Director of the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies (KIASS), and Zoha Naser, a Research Assistant at the KCL Centre for Science and Security (CSSS) and KIASS.
Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear Security, and the International Legal Framework maps international governance instruments on nuclear security and their ability to address AI-driven risks and threats. The paper highlights how the international legal framework for nuclear security will need to adapt and consider advances in AI technology to remain effective, and recommends 12 actions for governments, regulators, the IAEA, and the nuclear industry to meet the AI challenge.
The paper was authored by Dr. Anita Nilssen, an internationally recognised nuclear security expert and former Director of the Office of Nuclear Security at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
These papers were made possible through the generous support of Global Affairs Canada.
