The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has announced a partnership with tech giant Open AI. Proponents say that this will allow the UK to store data on its own sovereign servers.
Lammy’s deal with the devil – Open AI
According to Public Technology:
The UK government hopes that by allowing UK businesses to store their data on sovereign UK servers, concerns about data security and privacy will be resolved, resulting in an uptick of AI usage.
The announcement also included a deal signed by the government and OpenAI that will allow provide 2,500 Ministry of Justice officials with access to ChatGPT Enterprise – with the department now also able to opt for data to reside solely in the UK.
Justice secretary David Lammy said:
Our partnership with OpenAI places Britain firmly in the driving seat of the global tech revolution – leading the world in innovation and using technology to deliver fairness and opportunity for every corner of the United Kingdom.
Tweeting on 24 October, Lammy said the new tools would free up staff to “protect the public”:
Our partnership with @OpenAI will boost the economy & strengthen data security.
AI tools like Justice Transcribe in @MoJGovUK are freeing up to 240,000 days of admin time — the equivalent of 1,000 extra staff — so they can spend more time protecting the public. pic.twitter.com/64Z5DuPbvO
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) October 24, 2025
Technology minister Liz Kendall said the move would provide the “infrastructure we need to power AI here in Britain…”
This partnership with OpenAI is a step further in delivering that.
Open AI’s war and genocide links
But Open AI are a much more shadowy firm than UK ministers are letting on. The inventors of ChatGPT have links to the military industrial complex and Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians. This leaves serious questions about whether they should be involved in the running of government departments.
In June, the Financial Times (FT) wrote that Open AI had “won its first Pentagon contract”, announcing:
It would pilot a $200mn programme to ‘develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains” with the US Department of Defence (DOD, now the Department of War).
However, the FT warned:
Armed with narratives about how they’ve supercharged Israel and Ukraine in their wars, some tech companies have framed this as the new patriotism, without having a conversation about whether it should be happening in the first place, let alone how to ensure that ethics and safety are prioritised.
AI-powered genocide
Open AI has been deeply involved with Israel’s assault on the Palestinians. In Feburary 2025, Associated Press reported:
U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services.
But the number of civilians killed has also soared, along with fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people.
In February 2025, +972 Magazine found that Israeli units had used Open AI-linked products for operational tasks.
Even senior officials in allied countries have been found relying on AI to do their jobs. A US general recently admitted using Chat GPT to help with planning.
David Lammy’s moral inadequacies are no secret. And his stanning for these powerful, profit-driven private entities will shock nobody. The fact remains, the hold of big tech firms over democratic political institutions should concern everyone.
Featured image via the Canary
