The UK is seeking more agile AI regulation, bidding to back regulators with the skills and tools they need to address the risks and opportunities of AI, as part of the government’s response to the AI Regulation White Paper consultation today (February 6).

It comes as £10 million is announced to prepare and upskill regulators to address the risks and harness the opportunities of this defining technology.

The fund will help regulators develop research and practical tools to monitor and address risks and opportunities in their sectors, from telecoms and healthcare to finance and education. For example, this might include new technical tools for examining AI systems.

Many regulators have already taken action. For example, the Information Commissioner’s Office has updated guidance on how our strong data protection laws apply to AI systems that process personal data to include fairness and has continued to hold organisations to account, such as through the issuing of enforcement notices.

However, the UK government wants to build on this by further equipping them for the age of AI as use of the technology ramps up. The UK’s ‘agile’ regulatory system will simultaneously allow regulators to respond rapidly to emerging risks, while seeking to give developers room to innovate and grow in the UK.

In a drive to boost transparency and provide confidence to British businesses and citizens, key regulators, including Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority, have been asked to publish their approach to managing the technology by 30 April.

It will see them set out AI-related risks in their areas, detail their current skillset and expertise to address them, and a plan for how they will regulate AI over the coming year.

This forms part of the AI regulation white paper consultation response, published today, which carves out the UK’s own approach to regulation and which will ensure it can quickly adapt to emerging issues and avoid placing burdens on business which could stifle innovation.

The technology is rapidly developing, and the risks and most appropriate mitigations, are still not fully understood. The UK government has said it will not rush to legislate, or risk implementing ‘quick-fix’ rules that would soon become outdated or ineffective. Instead, the government’s context-based approach means existing regulators are empowered to address AI risks in a targeted way.

The UK government has for the first time, however, set out its initial thinking for future binding requirements which could be introduced for developers building the most advanced AI systems – to ensure they are accountable for making these technologies sufficiently safe.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Michelle Donelan said: “The UK’s innovative approach to AI regulation has made us a world leader in both AI safety and AI development.

“I am personally driven by AI’s potential to transform our public services and the economy for the better – leading to new treatments for cruel diseases like cancer and dementia, and opening the door to advanced skills and technology that will power the British economy of the future.

“AI is moving fast, but we have shown that humans can move just as fast. By taking an agile, sector-specific approach, we have begun to grip the risks immediately, which in turn is paving the way for the UK to become one of the first countries in the world to reap the benefits of AI safely.”

Meanwhile, nearly £90 million will go towards launching nine new research hubs across the UK and a partnership with the US on responsible AI. The hubs will support British AI expertise in harnessing the technology across areas including healthcare, chemistry, and mathematics.

£2 million of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding is also being announced today, which will support new research projects that will help to define what responsible AI looks like across sectors such as education, policing and the creative industries. These projects are part of the AHRC’s Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme.

£19 million will also go towards 21 projects to develop innovative trusted and responsible AI and machine learning solutions to accelerate deployment of these technologies and drive productivity. This will be funded through the Accelerating Trustworthy AI Phase 2 competition, supported through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund, and delivered by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme.

The government will also be launching a steering committee in spring to support and guide the activities of a formal regulator coordination structure within government in the spring.

These measures sit alongside the £100 million invested by the government in the world’s first AI Safety Institute to evaluate the risks of new AI models, and the global leadership shown by hosting the world’s first major summit on AI safety at Bletchley Park in November.

The International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety which was unveiled at the summit will also help to build a shared evidence-based understanding of frontier AI,  while the work of the AI Safety Institute will see the UK working closely with international partners to boost our ability to evaluate and research AI models.

The UK further commits to this approach today with an investment of £9 million through the government’s International Science Partnerships Fund, bringing together researchers and innovators in the UK and the United States to focus on developing safe, responsible, and trustworthy AI.

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The government’s response lays out a pro-innovation case for further targeted binding requirements on the small number of organisations that are currently developing highly capable general-purpose AI systems, to ensure that they are accountable for making these technologies sufficiently safe. This would build on steps the UK’s expert regulators are already taking to respond to AI risks and opportunities in their domains.

The consultation has highlighted the strong support for the five cross-sectoral principles which are the foundation of the UK’s approach and include safety, transparency, fairness, and accountability.

The publication of the AI Regulation White Paper last March laid the foundations for the UK’s approach to regulating AI by driving safe, responsible innovation. This common sense, pragmatic approach will now be further strengthened by robust regulator expertise, allowing people across the country to safely harness the benefits of AI for years to come.