Chi Onwurah: ‘It’s absolutely critical that the government shows it is on the side of people when it comes to technology.’Photograph: Mark Thomas/REX/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenChi Onwurah: ‘It’s absolutely critical that the government shows it is on the side of people when it comes to technology.’Photograph: Mark Thomas/REX/ShutterstockLabour head of Commons tech group warns No 10 not to ignore AI concernsChi Onwurah urges government to bring forward AI safety bill instead of delaying it to curry favour with Donald TrumpConcerns about the safety of artificial intelligence are at risk of being ignored by ministers, theLabourhead of the Commons technology committee has said, as the government delays regulating the industry to curry favour with Donald Trump.Chi Onwurah, the chair of the cross-party committee, urged the government to bring forward the AI safety bill, which would require technology companies to hand over any large language models they build to UK regulators for testing.The bill was designed to answer concerns that AI models could pose a threat to humanity, but the Guardianrevealed last monththat ministers were not planning to publish it before the summer in an attempt to please the Trump administration, after the vice-president, JD Vance, denounced Europe’s attempts to regulate the sector.‘We need to set the terms or we’re all screwed’: how newsrooms are tackling AI’s uncertainties and opportunitiesRead moreOnwurah told the Guardian: “The understanding that most of us had was that the AI safety bill would be coming soon. The committee has raised with Patrick Vallance [the science minister] the lack of an AI safety bill, and whether that is in response to the significant criticism of Europe’s approach to AI, which JD Vance and Elon Musk have made.“It’s absolutely critical that the government shows it is on the side of people when it comes to technology, particularly when it comes to the tech platforms and the impact technology is going to have in their lives.”She added: “Peter [Kyle, the technology secretary], Keir [Starmer, the prime minister] and Wes [Streeting, the health secretary] are great champions of tech and the positive contribution it can make. That’s great, but we also have to show that we recognise the threats that so many of my constituents see coming from technology generally, and AI specifically, and that we are here to protect them.“We are here to protect people, and so the sooner we have clarity on the AI safety bill, the more protected people will feel.”Starmer’s approach to technology is being guided in part by a desire to placate the US president and his administration. Vance gave a pro-AI speech at the recent AI safety summit in Paris,where he said: “The AI future will not be won by hand-wringing about safety. It will be won by building.”The stance of Vance and Starmer contrasts with that of the previous government under Rishi Sunak, which hosted the inaugural global AI safety summit in 2023. At that gathering, the UK, US, EU, Australia and China all agreed that AIposed a potentially catastrophic risk to humanity. The summit also struck a voluntary agreement between tech companies and governments over safety testing for AI models.As well as delaying the safety bill, the government is also considering dropping the UK’s digital services tax on the major global technology companies. Trump has ordered an investigation into other countries’ technology taxes, saying the findings will determine which countries will face tariffs on 2 April.But the UK prime minister is also being guided by his own enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, whichhe argueshas the potential to make the British state far more efficient by, for instance, automating certain tasks – as well as to power the economic growth thathis government has made a priority.The government’s desire to foster a British AI industry has led ministers to make acontroversial set of proposalsthat would allow technology companies to circumvent copyright law and use creative content to train their models without the permission of the people who created it.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionWhile ministers consult on those plans, they are facing a growing backlash from the arts and entertainment industry, with figures such asElton John and Paul McCartneywarning about the impact on young artists.Onwurah said she shared those concerns, and wanted technology companies to come up with solutions that would allow them to develop AI tools without relying on widespread copyright violations. One option ministers are considering is to allow technology companies access to creative content, while making it much easier for artists to seek payment for that content and opt out if they would prefer.“My concern is that to get it right, the tech companies need to be proposing tech solutions,” Onwurah said. “The tech companies need to be using technology to help address this issue, not trying to make a land grab for all content on the basis that there isn’t a viable tech option.”A spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “The government is clear in its ambition to bring forward AI legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the technology for years to come.“We are continuing to refine our proposals which will incentivise innovation and investment to cement our position as one of the world’s three leading AI powers, and will launch a public consultation in due course.”Explore more on these topicsArtificial intelligence (AI)LabourScience policyComputingTechnology sectornewsShareReuse this content