The power of AI is worrying senior Labour figures – as is the fear of ‘falling behind the public’
Westminster appears to be waking up to warnings over AI safety, with concerns over its use by extremist groups and bad actors “I have this sense that, within a few months, AI is going to be all anyone is talking about,” said one cabinet minister, with an ominous stare. It was Labour conference, with everyone from ministers to activists jubilant at Andy Burnham’s takeover and a bounce in the polls…
As Labour conference gathered, senior figures grew increasingly concerned about the power of Artificial Intelligence, as well as the potential for the UK to fall behind in addressing AI safety issues. One cabinet minister remarked that within months, AI would be the primary topic of conversation. Labour's change of leadership, from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham, has led to a heightened focus on AI threats, particularly in comparison to the previous administration's close ties to big tech companies.
Cabinet discussions quickly turned to the issue, with the AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan, stating it was "likely, if not inevitable" that rogue agents would hack the British state. MI5 Chief Ken McCallum warned that extremist groups could use AI to unleash bioweapons, posing a significant threat to global security. Labour's Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee held evidence sessions with civil service leaders on AI security and executives from major AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta.
The committee acknowledged the importance of working with the US to regulate and monitor new AI models, as well as the need for mandatory testing. Former chief scientist at AI Security Institute Geoffrey Irving expressed concern that open-source AI models could already be powerful enough to cause serious harm, potentially reaching the capabilities of major models within a year.
He emphasized that safety guardrails in open-source models often can be trivially removed, posing a significant risk. Labour's focus on addressing these AI concerns will be crucial, especially as the UK prepares to host the G20 presidency.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
