UK seeks faster AI legislation, faces debate on new powers

The British government must modernize its approach to governing artificial intelligence to keep pace with rapid technological change, according to the Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary. Darren Jones, speaking on a national television program, said that while the government possesses the necessary tools, the way government and Parliament works must adapt to meet what he described as a fundamental challenge of speed.

Jones argued that legislation and regulation can be used in a way that promotes innovation, benefits the economy and public services, and protects the public. He pointed to the recently passed Crime and Policing Act as an example of new measures. That legislation granted the government a flexible power to amend the Online Safety Act 2023 to address AI bots that produce potentially illegal content. It also banned the creation, modification, or supply of so-called nudification tools used to generate deepfake intimate images without consent.

This new power has drawn criticism from opposition figures. Conservative shadow Home Office minister Lord Davies of Gower called it the "mother of all Henry VIII powers," a reference to a mechanism allowing ministers to alter law...