King Charles III of the United Kingdom reads the King's Speech (Photo: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images … [+]
Today's King Speech, which sets out the new Labour government's plans for AI and cybersecurity, has been widely welcomed by the tech industry.
The speech stopped short of promising to pass AI legislation in the near future, but said the government would “seek to enact appropriate legislation that imposes requirements on those working on developing the most powerful artificial intelligence models.”
Labour has previously promised to introduce binding regulation for the AI companies that build the most powerful models, but it remains to be seen what that legislation would look like.
“We hope to hear more about what the government means by imposing appropriate requirements on those working on developing the most powerful artificial intelligence models. The concern among most IT professionals is not that AI is too powerful, but that basic guardrails are not in place,” commented Adam Leon-Smith of BCS (British Chartered Institute of IT).
“High professional standards are needed to ensure that AI is managed and developed by individuals who adhere to agreed standards of competence and ethics. We recommend avoiding too narrow a focus on a few companies.”
Michal Simczak, head of AI strategy at software consulting firm Zartis, echoed those concerns and said governments need to avoid being too heavy-handed.
“I worry that such policies will stifle AI innovation through bureaucracy, especially given the costs of compliance. It could act as a demoralizing deterrent, especially for startups,” he said.
“Labour's manifesto is clear about trying to strike a balance between fostering innovation and regulating the companies that are developing the most powerful AI models. It's a great idea in theory, but you can't have both at the same time.”
While the AI Bill is still pending, two other bills were announced during the speech – the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill and the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill.
The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill aims to encourage innovative uses of data to help boost the economy, including the creation of new digital verification services and a system whereby customer data can be shared with authorized third-party service providers.
Meanwhile, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill aims to protect critical national infrastructure – particularly important given the recent attack on NHS supplier Synnovis, which led to thousands of appointments and elective procedures being postponed – but some industry observers say they are understandably concerned about over-regulation.
“It will be important that governments work with industry to ensure the legislation's security requirements are fit for purpose and strike the right balance between building resilience and encouraging innovation,” said Carla Baker, senior director of UK and Ireland government relations at Palo Alto Networks.
“If we are to achieve sustained economic growth in the UK, we cannot afford to impose overly strict requirements on organisations. The government must take a coordinated approach to developing policy interventions that protect key sectors of society and promote economic growth, and refrain from producing guidance that contains overlapping or contradictory requirements.”
The bill would be the first changes to UK cybersecurity law in six years.
“Just imagine how far behind we are compared to the capabilities of our adversaries, which have rapidly evolved in that time,” said Al Lakani, CEO of security firm IDEE.
“We can and must go further. Additional legislation and resources will be needed to address the continuing risks facing the UK's long-neglected digital infrastructure.”
