UK AI Regulation Delayed for Broader Bill

UK ministers have delayed proposals to regulate artificial intelligence by at least a year. They are planning a comprehensive bill to regulate the technology and its use of copyrighted material. The law is expected to include safety and copyright issues, but the delay is likely to raise concerns about the continuing lack of regulation.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle intends to introduce a comprehensive AI bill in the next parliamentary session to address concerns about safety and copyright. This bill will not be ready before the next king’s speech, potentially triggering concerns about regulatory delays. Several sources suggest the next king’s speech could occur in May 2026.

Previous Plans

Originally, Labour planned to introduce a short, narrowly focused AI bill within months of taking office. This bill would have concentrated on large language models, like ChatGPT, and required companies to submit their models for testing by the UK’s AI Security Institute. The aim was to address concerns that advanced AI models could pose a risk to humanity.

This bill was delayed as ministers chose to align with the US administration, due to concerns that regulation might diminish the UK’s appeal to AI companies. Copyright rules for AI companies are now intended to be included as part of the AI bill.

According to a government source, this bill can be used to find a solution on copyright. Meetings have been held with creators and tech representatives, and work will begin after the data bill passes.

Copyright Issues

The government is currently in a standoff with the House of Lords over copyright rules in a separate data bill. This bill would allow AI companies to train their models using copyrighted material unless the rights holder opts out, which has caused backlash from the creative sector, including artists like Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Kate Bush.

Peers recently supported an amendment to the data bill that would require AI companies to disclose whether they are using copyrighted material to train their models, to enforce existing copyright law. Ministers have not backed down, despite Kyle's regret over the government's approach. The government maintains that the data bill is not the appropriate place for the copyright issue and has promised to release an economic impact assessment and technical reports on copyright and AI.

Kyle has committed to establishing a cross-party working group of parliamentarians on AI and copyright, in a letter to MPs. Beeban Kidron stated that ministers have harmed the creative industries. Kyle mentioned in the Commons that AI and copyright should be addressed in a separate, comprehensive bill.

Public Opinion

According to a survey, most of the UK public (88%) believe the government should have the power to stop the use of an AI product if it poses a serious risk. More than 75% believe that the government or regulators should oversee AI safety, rather than private companies alone.

Scott Singer noted that the UK is positioning itself between the US and EU, attempting to avoid regulation that could harm innovation while protecting consumers.