The News: On July 18, London-based AI rights watchdog the Ada Lovelace Institute published a report criticizing the UK’s current approach to AI governance and suggested what can only be described as a major overhaul. The report goes on to posit that if changes are not made, neither businesses nor consumers will benefit from AI. From the report:
“While the EU is legislating to implement a rules-based approach to AI governance, the UK is proposing a ‘contextual, sector-based regulatory framework’, anchored in its existing, diffuse network of regulators and laws. The UK approach, set out in the white paper, ‘Establishing a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation’, rests on two main elements: AI principles that existing regulators will be asked to implement, and a set of new ‘central functions’ to support this work. In addition to these elements, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill currently under consideration by Parliament is likely to impact significantly on the governance of AI in the UK, as will the £100 million Foundation Model Taskforce and AI Safety Summit convened by the Government.”
The Ada Lovelace Institute says that the UK has to get their domestic regulations for AI Safety right to have any chance at being a global AI influencer, which the government has made clear it wants to be.
The paper is unapologetic in describing what the institute sees as major issues: “The UK’s diffuse legal and regulatory network for AI currently has significant gaps. Clearer rights and new institutions are needed to ensure that safeguards extend across the economy.”
The paper outlines 18 AI Safety recommendations, including stopping a revision that waters down the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, upgrading the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law to accommodate for AI protections, and perhaps most notably, several recommendations that call for new specific AI legislation and enforcement frameworks.
Read the paper on the Ada Lovelace Institute website.
UK AI Regulations Criticized: A Cautionary Tale for AI Safety
Analyst Take: Throughout time when there is a technological disruption, there is a natural tension between businesses, who are looking for the freedom to innovate, and governments, who are tasked with protecting the public. What is going on in the UK right now is a great example of that tension and the struggle to find equilibrium, where business can thrive and the public is sufficiently protected. The current AI Safety approach will not help the UK become an AI leader, and the approach is essentially a good example of what not to do to build sensible AI regulations that benefit business and the public.
Here are the key lessons we can learn about AI Safety governance from the UK situation.
How Much AI Regulation Is Enough?
The authors of the Ada Lovelace Institute report clearly believe the UK is taking a dangerously under-regulated approach to AI Safety. The challenge for pro-business advocates in the current situation is that the minimalist approach will backfire if the public is dissatisfied with the patchwork protections, or more likely, when businesses are faced with a wide range of liability lawsuits that require interpretation across disparate governing regulations and entities.
Are AI Regulations Conceptual Enough?
Lawmakers get it right when laws are written on concepts rather than specific actions. Some of the most enduring legal frameworks in the world include the U.S. Constitution, which is written in a conceptual fashion and can be interpreted broadly. In the era of generative AI, regulators, business, and the public will be best served when AI regulations adhere to broader principles and concepts.
Should AI Regulations Be Broadly or Narrowly Applied?
Most of the world’s leading AI Safety regulations, such as those in the EU, the US, China, and Singapore, are written as broad, umbrella regulations which apply across industries. The UK approach is totally opposite, shunning the umbrella approach for looking to narrower governance bodies to interpret AI governance as they see fit. In my view, this is perhaps the biggest misstep for the UK – many businesses in this case will have to deal with multiple governing bodies who may have different interpretations of protections needed, making it very difficult for business to manage their AI risk. The approach could hinder AI growth in the UK while other markets, leveraging more normalized AI regulations, accelerate.
UK as a Global AI Leader? Not So Much.
Taking into account that the Ada Loveless Institute is somewhat biased towards the public’s rights, the paper’s primary points do sketch a challenging route for the UK in their efforts to build AI regulation and AI leadership.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Mark comes to The Futurum Group from Omdia’s Artificial Intelligence practice, where his focus was on natural language and AI use cases.
Previously, Mark worked as a consultant and analyst providing custom and syndicated qualitative market analysis with an emphasis on mobile technology and identifying trends and opportunities for companies like Syniverse and ABI Research. He has been cited by international media outlets including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and CNET. Based in Tampa, Florida, Mark is a veteran market research analyst with 25 years of experience interpreting technology business and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida.
