Purposeful AI matters now more than ever

Published
2026-03-24T22:44:44.451+01:00 24 March 2026
Business Digital Intelligence
Location International
The latest in our Power of Perspective series. Henry Tse, Head of Global Products at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, shares an update on how our customers can get the most out of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Henry's perspective

Across defence, national security and government, the pace of technological change is relentless. New threats emerge quickly, operational environments shift without warning, and the volume of data that teams must interpret grows by the day. In moments like these, clarity becomes mission critical. Increasingly, that clarity can be supported with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, we’re helping our customers integrate AI enabled technology in the most responsible and effective way; working closely with SMEs partners and academia to stay at the cutting edge. For me, AI isn’t just another tool in the kit. I often think of it almost like another person on the team: something you need to understand, manage, and train so it becomes the best version of itself – one you can trust, collaborate with, and rely on when it matters.

But trust doesn’t happen by accident. At Digital Intelligence, we build the guardrails that make trusted AI possible. Our teams engineer AI with purpose – ensuring every dataset and deployment is aligned to the outcomes our customers need to achieve. Before we even begin designing a solution, we ask the most important question: Is AI relevant to this outcome? And if it is, can it genuinely improve efficiency, effectiveness, or decision advantage?

Because it’s not just about building the technology. It’s about how we apply AI in some of the most critical environments in the world – for example within the systems that keep people safe every day. That means ensuring AI is explainable, governed, secure, and resilient. It means integrating systems that support human decision makers, and it means embedding responsibility at every stage.

AI at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

AI with purpose

From space to subsea, right now our talented teams are engineering ways to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) for our customers. We use the best models and approaches so our customers can accelerate their exploitation of AI. Building higher quality efficiencies, faster outcomes, and with responsibility at its core. This is AI with purpose.

As Head of Global Products at Digital Intelligence, I see first hand how the security and defence teams across our business are working hand in glove with customers to solve the defence challenges of today while preparing for those of tomorrow. Whether it’s enabling faster threat detection, improving situational awareness, or helping operators make sense of complex multi domain data, AI is becoming an essential part of the modern mission toolkit – as long as it’s applied with purpose.

And that’s the point. Purposeful AI isn’t about chasing the latest trend or deploying technology for its own sake. It’s about delivering real, measurable outcomes. It’s about giving our customers confidence that the AI they use is safe, secure, and aligned to their mission. And ultimately, it’s about ensuring that as AI evolves, it does so in a way that strengthens the decisions that protect people, assets, and national security.

AI will continue to transform the landscape that we work in. Our job is to make sure it does so responsibly, effectively, and always with purpose.

Get in touch
Henry Tse

Head of Global Products

BAE Systems Digital Intelligence