The UK 'needs access' to US and Chinese AI models to ensure safety, says Business Secretary
Jonathan Reynolds said the UK "needs access" to models developed around the world to "make sure we're regulating in the right way"
The UK needs to have access to AI models from China and the US to ensure we are protected, a senior government minister has told LBC.
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Speaking on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK "needs access" to models developed around the world to "make sure we're protected and regulating in the right way".
Mr Reynolds distanced himself from claims by Donald Trump over the weekend that the "only control" needed against AI is a "strong and smart" president.
"The best guardrails are having things like the AI Safety Institute," he told Nick.
He said the government was "not naive" about the risks of AI but insisted he didn't want people to be "overly worried".
"AI can be a real powerful tool for good when we get it right," he said.
"We do have to have access to what's being developed around the rest of the world in order to make sure we're protected, we're regulating in the right way.
"Not just the technology, but how it affects every sector of the economy."
His comments come after the boss of Anthropic, which owns the Claude chatbot, called for artificial intelligence development to "slow down".
Given the rate of development, Dario Amodei said he was worried that within six to 12 months, AI could be capable of leading a swarm that could take over the entire internet.
Responding over the weekend, the US President slammed the "sick conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China".
Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial: "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"
Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed the new focus on the dangers AI could pose to the world from the industry leaders developing the new technology, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
The Prime Minister thinks it is a “good thing” that leading AI figures are publicly speaking about the risks of the technology to global security.
The spokesperson also insisted that AI “offers huge opportunities that we want the UK to tap into”, including for transforming how public services are delivered, and raising living standards.
However, they would not directly comment on whether the Prime Minister supported moves by AI chiefs to purposefully slow down the development of the technology.
Asked about the new industry focus on AI safety, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “What the Prime Minister thinks is that it’s a good thing that the companies developing the most advanced AI systems are now talking openly about the risks as well as the opportunities.
“These risks cross borders. That’s why we’re working closely with the companies developing the most advanced systems and with our allies and international partners.
“It’s also why the AI Security Institute exists to build a rigorous, scientific understanding of the capabilities of the most advanced AI systems and the risks they pose, so that policy decisions are grounded in evidence rather than speculation.”
Downing Street’s comments come as a cross-party group of MPs and peers warned that a new artificial intelligence (AI) Bill is needed “to address the scale and seriousness of threats posed to human rights” by the technology.
In a report published on Monday, the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) listed a range of human rights risks which existing regulatory and legal frameworks “are ill-equipped to prevent or respond to”.