The UK is plotting to regulate AI

April 16, 2024

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference at the AI Safety Summit in Milton Keynes, near London, last November.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

Six months after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a global summit on artificial intelligence at Bletchley Park, the United Kingdom is making moves to start regulating AI.

Policy officials in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have begun drafting legislation to rein in the most potent dangers from AI, sources told Bloomberg News this week. While Europe has set the standard by passing its comprehensive AI Act, Sunak has pledged to take a more hands-off approach to the technology. It’s unclear how far the forthcoming bill, which is still in its early stages, will go in setting up safeguards. Separately, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has also proposed amending the country’s copyright law to allow companies to “opt out” of having their content scraped by generative AI firms.

The movement on real legislation comes weeks after the UK signed a bilateral agreement with the US to coordinate safety testing on AI models. While the Biden administration has been flexing its regulatory muscles through executive order, one outstanding question is: Will the UK beat the US to passing real AI legislation?

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