British authorities have begun work on legislation to regulate AI – Kommersant

The UK government has begun work on creating legislation to regulate the field of artificial intelligence (AI). This is reported by Financial Times, citing own sources. According to the newspaper, the work was launched due to growing concern about the potential harm that the widespread and uncontrolled spread of technology could bring. As noted, the new legislation will primarily regulate the most powerful AI models.

The newspaper’s interlocutors note that so far the government does not have any clear deadlines regarding the development and introduction of new rules. However, there is an obvious understanding of what they should be.

• It is expected that certain restrictions will be introduced on the creation of large language models on which AI products such as ChatGPT and its analogues and competitors are based.
• In addition, the rules will make it mandatory for companies that develop algorithms to submit their algorithms to government agencies and unconditionally provide evidence that the companies have conducted adequate security testing of their products.
• The concerns of the antimonopoly authorities will also be taken into account.

So, last week the head of the UK Competition and Markets Authority Sarah Cardell publicly expressed concern that a small group of technology companies focused on developing AI “may have the ability and incentive to shape this market to their advantage.” Ms. Cardell noted the presence of an “interconnected network” of more than 90 partnerships and strategic investment projects, including a limited number of the same companies – Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms (recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

Experts note that serious consideration of legislation that would regulate AI comes into conflict with the government’s previous position of virtual non-intervention and a desire to delegate regulation in this area to voluntary agreements between specific companies and the government. It was argued that some tougher measures would limit growth. In particular, in November last year, the Minister for AI, Viscount Jonathan Camrose, said that no legislation in this regard should be expected in the foreseeable future. And even earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British response to the international trend to develop various kinds of regulatory documents in this area is “not to rush.”

How the world’s first law on the regulation of artificial intelligence was agreed upon – in the Kommersant publication “AI has been put on legal shelves”.

Andrey Kelekeev