A group of MPs and peers has called for a new law to deal with the risks AI poses to human rights.
The Joint Committee on Human Rights published a report on the issue this week. The committee said current UK laws are not built to handle how fast AI is growing.
Labour MP Alex Sobel chairs the committee. He said no country, including the UK, has AI rules that are fit for purpose right now.
What The Report Found
The report is over 100 pages long. It lists several ways AI has already caused harm to people's rights.
These include AI tools used to make sexual images of women and girls without their consent. It also points to face scanning done without people knowing.
The committee wants one independent body created by law to oversee AI in the UK. It says the current system is spread across too many agencies and has gaps.
The report also calls for stricter rules on AI systems judged to be high risk. This would apply at every stage, from building the system to using it.
Some uses of AI should be banned outright, the report says. It names subliminal techniques and misuse of biometric data as examples.
Sobel said AI could transform lives for better or worse. He said it is moving so fast that its effects are hard to predict.
Government Response To The Report
Labour education minister Georgia Gould responded to the report on BBC Breakfast. She said AI creates opportunities but the risks need a response too.
Gould said the government is already regulating AI. She pointed to action on non-consensual sexual deepfakes and a separate cyber security bill.
She also mentioned the AI Security Institute. Gould said it tests AI models as they arrive in the UK and works through future risks.
Labour's 2024 election manifesto promised binding rules for companies building the most powerful AI models. The King's Speech that year also promised AI legislation.
No AI bill appeared in this year's King's Speech, however. Gould was asked directly what happened to that promise during her BBC interview.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in July. He scrapped the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and split its duties among other departments.
Burnham made sure AI Minister Kanishka Narayan now attends cabinet meetings. This followed pressure to keep AI policy close to the top of government.
The report lands during a wider debate about AI safety. Jacob Coxon, a researcher who left Anthropic, told the BBC that staff building these systems feel frightened about the future.
An Anthropic spokesperson said the company builds its models with strong safeguards. The company did not comment further on Coxon's remarks.
Over the weekend, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei laid out a plan calling for AI regulation. It included global rules, industry-wide standards, and independent monitoring of AI models during development.
Amodei also said the pace of AI development should slow down. OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk both said they agreed with his call.
