UK lawmakers have summoned leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to a parliamentary hearing to discuss the urgent need for new AI safety regulations. OpenAI has backed the call for binding rules, advocating for a narrowly focused approach on the most advanced AI systems.
The parliamentary summons and calls for new legislation signal a growing global effort by governments to regulate advanced AI, potentially impacting the development and deployment strategies of major AI companies and the broader technology sector.
Leading artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Deepmind, and Meta, have been summoned to an urgent parliamentary hearing in the UK amid growing concerns about AI safety and regulation. The summons comes as a cross-party committee of MPs and Lords has called for new legislation and an independent oversight body to address the potential risks posed by the rapidly advancing technology.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has publicly supported the call for stronger, binding UK rules, particularly for the most powerful AI systems. Tom Duff Gordon, OpenAI's head of policy in Europe, stated that the government should "take advantage of this political window" to legislate, emphasizing that rules should be narrowly focused on advanced AI labs rather than startups. This stance aligns with a broader call from Anthropic for a coordinated global slowdown in AI development.
The UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Labour MP Alex Sobel, released a report highlighting significant gaps in current AI regulation. The committee warned that the world is unprepared for the "potentially dire" consequences of AI, citing risks such as widespread facial recognition without consent, explicit deepfakes, and AI systems used for unwarranted disciplinary actions against workers. They advocate for a dedicated AI bill with stricter obligations for high-risk systems and mandatory transparency across the AI lifecycle.
A government spokesperson acknowledged the seriousness of AI risks and the need for regulatory frameworks to evolve alongside AI capabilities, stating that future measures will be evidence-based and risk-focused. While a call for a ban on artificial superintelligence was rejected by Downing Street, the government is exploring targeted interventions to address national security risks associated with advanced AI.
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