Chair Comment: AI Action Summit

Following the government’s decision not to sign a leaders’ declaration at the AI Action Summit in Paris, the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Chi Onwurah MP, said:  

“Many who, like the Government, want to champion the positive potential of AI will be concerned the Government has chosen not to sign the communique agreed at the AI Action Summit in Paris, particularly given that its content was far less contentious than wording that the UK agreed upon at previous summits at Bletchley Park and in Seoul.  

“The news of the UK’s decision broke as the committee was questioning Lord Vallance, the science minister. He told us that the government would consult on its long-anticipated AI bill “in due course" and that “there is no Bill at the moment”. This was disappointing, as in December Secretary of State Peter Kyle appeared before my committee and seemed to suggest that the AI Bill was at a more advanced stage, stating that it would place voluntary commitments agreed at AI Safety Summits on a statutory footing, alongside the AI Safety Institute (AISI).   

"These developments together represent an apparent watering down of the UK’s previous stance. The motivations for this remain unclear, as are the national security and global governance concerns cited by the secretary of state in the House of Commons as having prevented the UK from signing the communique. The government needs to urgently clarify its position and offer reassurance that a safety- and citizen-first approach to AI has not been pushed aside.” 

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