UK MPs demand stronger rules for powerful artificial intelligence

UK Members of Parliament (MPs) are demanding stricter rules for powerful artificial intelligence as more than 100 lawmakers across parties have warned that the government is not moving fast enough to regulate the world’s most powerful AI models. 

The cross-parliament group, which includes a former AI minister and a former defence secretary, has argued that without binding global standards, superintelligent systems could “compromise national and global security”.

The effort is being coordinated by Control AI, a nonprofit backed by Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resist pressure from Washington, where the Trump administration remains opposed to strict AI regulation. 

Even renowned experts, including Yoshua Bengio, have criticised the current oversight, noting AI is “less regulated than a sandwich”.

Campaigners such as former defence secretary Des Browne have warned that allowing unchecked development of frontier systems could be the most dangerous technological step since the nuclear era. 

Notably, Conservative peer Zac Goldsmith echoed the alarm, saying governments are “miles behind the AI companies”.

The development comes at a moment when leading researchers, including Anthropic’s Jared Kaplan, have already cautioned that humanity must decide before 2030 whether to risk allowing AI to train and evolve without limits.