New UK Centre Aims to Lead the Fight Against Cyber Attacks and AI Threats

Wolverhampton University Launches Centre for Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence

A new centre focusing on the global rise in cyber attacks and artificial intelligence (AI) has opened at Wolverhampton University. The Centre for Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence (CYBRAI) aims to be a leading force in the field, bringing together academia, industry, and government to tackle the evolving digital challenges.

According to Director Prof Zeeshan Pervez, the centre is the first to combine these two critical fields. A team of around 20 academics will work at the university, which itself experienced a cyber attack in 2024. Their research will focus on strengthening the recovery process after a cyber attack and monitoring the growing role of AI in innovation and threat management.

Tackling the Ongoing Threat of Cyber Attacks

“Cyber attacks will keep on happening – that’s what we have seen in the case of Marks and Spencer and the Co-Op – that the attacks will happen,” said Prof Pervez. He emphasised that the key is how quickly organisations can recover from these attacks. Researchers at CYBRAI will work to reduce the “collateral damage” caused by breaches and enhance system security.

Recent data highlights the prevalence of cyber threats, with the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 stating that 43% of businesses and 30% of charities experienced a breach or attack in the last 12 months. A National Audit Office (NAO) report also noted substantial gaps in cyber-resilience in critical government IT systems. In Europe, there’s been a 35% increase in cyber attacks on organisations, facing approximately 1,300 attacks weekly.

Addressing the Fast-Moving World of AI

The centre’s work on AI is also crucial given its rapid development. Prof Pervez illustrated AI’s speed by comparing the time it took technologies like radio, television, and Facebook to reach 50 million users with ChatGPT reaching 100 million users in just two months. He noted that “AI is powering the digital transformation.”

Being based in Wolverhampton complements the growing number of IT and cyber-security firms in the West Midlands. Prof Pervez highlighted the centre’s unique approach in the UK for bringing cyber resilience and AI together under one umbrella, recognising that they are interconnected fields.