UK policy & regulation

Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta and OpenAI differ on AI regulation in questioning by UK MPs

At a hearing of the UK Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, the four AI developers set out different views on how binding AI regulation should be and what obligations they would accept. They did agree on the need for external scrutiny and safety testing. All four said they would give the UK's AI Security Institute access to unreleased models, provided they are legally allowed to.

UK angle: UK MPs questioned the labs, and the firms committed to giving the UK AI Security Institute access to unreleased models if legally allowed.

Microsoft president Brad Smith says AI is less regulated than milk, urges global rules with UK in lead

In a BBC interview, Microsoft president Brad Smith said AI is less regulated than a washing machine or a carton of milk. He said industry self-regulation is "not sufficient any longer" and called for global rules and international cooperation. He said the UK is well positioned to help lead that effort.

UK angle: Smith says the UK is in the best position to lead on writing global AI rules.

UK minister to say Britain cannot rely solely on tech firms as government moves to strengthen cyber defences

According to the Guardian, AI minister Kanishka Narayan will say that Britain cannot depend entirely on technology companies to manage AI risks, amid rising global concern about AI dangers. The government is reported to be strengthening the UK's cyber defences while urging AI firms to step up their own safety work. The detail of the measures was not available to confirm, so the practical impact on businesses remains to be seen.

UK angle: UK government says it will strengthen national cyber defences and expects AI firms to do more on safety.

Alan Turing Institute head says UK must not be beholden to foreign AI

George Williamson, who leads the Alan Turing Institute, says national resilience is a key focus for the institute. He says it is important that the UK has access to sovereign capability, as the UK has always wanted to be in charge of its own destiny.

UK angle: Sets out the Alan Turing Institute's priority of reducing UK reliance on foreign AI.

Law Commission proposes bringing AI systems and software under UK product liability law

The Law Commission of England and Wales has opened a consultation on extending product liability rules to AI systems and software. People harmed by a defective AI product, including through psychiatric injury, could claim compensation from the companies involved. The consultation closes on 14 January 2027, with final recommendations expected in late 2027 and legislation left to government.

UK angle: Proposal from the Law Commission of England and Wales; UK businesses selling or deploying AI could face product liability exposure.

UK AI minister says Westminster has too much AI 'doomerism', urges middle ground

Kanishka Narayan, the UK's AI minister, said the government should take a position between extreme boosterism and extreme scepticism or doomerism, which he described as the median view in the Westminster bubble. He said AI Growth Zone delivery has not moved at the pace he wanted and he is focused on all five sites. He named UK reliance on US frontier AI models as his biggest security concern and said next year's UK-hosted G20 is a chance to push for a global code on AI. He also said he uses AI-generated synthetic focus groups from a private company to test messaging.

UK angle: Sets out the UK government's AI priorities, including the five AI Growth Zones and sovereign AI capability.

Treasury official Huw Leslie named first director of government-backed AI Economics Institute

Huw Leslie, a Treasury deputy director, has been appointed the first director of the AI Economics Institute, described as a government-backed body researching AI's economic effects. It reports jointly to the Treasury and the PM's AI Taskforce and is chaired by economist Simon Johnson. Leslie starts on 2 November, and the institute plans to grow its team in the coming months.

UK angle: A UK government-backed institute will produce primary research on AI's economic impact, likely to inform Treasury policy.

House Speaker Johnson hopes AI safety rules stay voluntary

Speaker Mike Johnson told CNBC ahead of today's White House meeting with AI executives that he hopes forthcoming AI safety guardrails will be voluntary rather than legislated, adding tech firms "see the handwriting on the wall" and want to reassure the public. Congress remains at an early stage on AI rules and leaves Washington at the end of this week, not returning until after November's midterms, meaning federal AI regulation is likely to stay stalled for months.

UK weighs immediate AI harms against existential-risk regulation

MLex reports the UK government is signalling openness to new domestic AI legislation or global standards, amid growing calls for AI-specific regulation. Researchers are urging ministers to prioritise tackling observable, immediate harms rather than letting focus on hypothetical existential risks delay action, while some industry voices argue existing sectoral rules already suffice. The piece frames this as a live policy choice rather than a settled direction.

Jade Leung to step down as PM's chief AI adviser

Jade Leung, chief technology officer of the UK's AI Security Institute and PM Andy Burnham's chief adviser on artificial intelligence, will step down at the end of September citing personal circumstances. She moves to a part-time role as vice-chair of the AI Security Institute and security adviser to the government's AI Taskforce, alongside a visiting fellowship at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Downing Street has not yet named a successor for the chief adviser role she took over from Matt Clifford.

UK angle: Directly concerns the UK government's top AI advisory and security roles

Burnham tells the UN the UK and US are building an AI defence partnership

In his first speech to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK is developing a new AI defence partnership with the United States to protect critical national infrastructure. He also committed the UK to fighting disinformation and pushing for global AI safety standards, and accused Russian agencies of using bots and fake news sites against Britain. Details are thin. The next thing to watch is which departments and suppliers get named.

UK angle: Suppliers to energy, water and telecoms operators should expect AI security requirements to tighten once this takes shape.