Lack of AI Bill disappointing, says technology committee chairman
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee chairman Greg Clark warned the UK risked falling behind other countries if it did not legislate on AI.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The UK risks being left behind by other countries by failing to bring forward artificial intelligence-specific legislation in the King’s Speech, one senior MP has said.
Greg Clark, chairman of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, said it was “disappointing” not to see an AI Bill in the wake of the UK hosting the AI Safety Summit last week.
At the summit, held at Bletchley Park, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the launch of a “global hub” AI Safety Institute to test new AI models before they are released, and led the signing of the Bletchley Declaration by 28 countries, pledging to develop artificial intelligence safely and responsibly.
But Mr Clark said the UK risked squandering that progress if it did not move to address issues around the technology, including bias and privacy concerns, which the committee had called for a Bill to address in this session of Parliament.
I would therefore urge the Government to reconsider its current stance, and commit to introducing a tightly focused AI Bill in the upcoming response to its White Paper consultation
“This new session of Parliament will be the last opportunity to pass significant legislation before the general election, and in all likelihood, before 2025,” he said.
“It is therefore disappointing to see the Government decide against including an AI Bill in today’s King’s Speech.
“In March the Government said that it would consider legislating to establish ‘due regard’ duties for existing regulators, as part of the implementation of the high-level principles set out in the AI White Paper.
“In our interim report, we called for the introduction of such a Bill, and warned that if the Government decided not to legislate then it could be overtaken by other jurisdictions – particularly the European Union and United States.
“Since our interim report was published, both the EU and US have moved closer to setting de facto AI governance standards, and whilst the UK demonstrated its convening power at Bletchley Park, the international regulatory picture is likely to look very different by 2025 – simply put, it may by then be too late for the UK’s approach to become the international standard.
“I would therefore urge the Government to reconsider its current stance, and commit to introducing a tightly focused AI Bill in the upcoming response to its White Paper consultation.
“My committee will continue to consider these issues in depth, including at our next hearing on Wednesday November 8 with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Prime Minister’s summit representative Matt Clifford.”