Superintelligent AI

Debate between Lord Hunt of Kings Heath and Baroness Lloyd of Effra

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to regulate the development of superintelligent AI.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (Baroness Lloyd of Effra) (Lab)]

AI’s superintelligence is the subject of ongoing debate regarding its definition and whether it is achievable. Advanced transformative AI presents both significant opportunities, such as improvements in healthcare and climate action, and risks. As frontier AI evolves, the AI Security Institute helps the Government assess and identify potential emerging risks, which would include pathways towards any kind of superintelligence. The Government will remain vigilant and prepare for new AI risks, including rapid advancements that could affect society and national security. AI regulated by existing expert regulators will be informed by the AISI findings.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that considered Answer. Clearly, AI has great potential; the UK is third in the global league of AI investment. I understand the Government’s response, which is essentially a nuanced approach to encourage both proper regulation and investment.

However, superintelligent AI undoubtedly does present risks. The Minister will know that the director-general of MI5 has warned of the

“potential future risks from non-human, autonomous AI systems which may evade human oversight and control”.

Meanwhile, the UK’s AI Security Institute has warned:

“In a worst-case scenario, this … could lead to catastrophic, irreversible loss of control over advanced Al systems”.


The problem is that the companies developing superintelligence do not know the outcome and there are currently no barriers to the development. I urge the Government to take this really seriously and to start talking to other countries about putting some safety controls in.

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My noble friend is right to mention the research of the AI Security Institute, which is advice the Government listen to and take very seriously. AI is a general-purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI should be regulated at the point of use. My noble friend is also right that collaboration with other countries is critical, and the UK’s approach is to engage with many other countries, and through the AI Security Institute with developers so that it has good insight into what is happening in development today.

Technology Adoption Review

Debate between Lord Hunt of Kings Heath and Baroness Lloyd of Effra

Monday 15th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right that attracting high-calibre talent to this country is incredibly important. We have a number of ongoing initiatives to do that, including the Global Talent Taskforce, as well as through academia, as my noble friend the Minister with responsibility for science and technology talked about. The digital skills jobs plan will also set out how we can support that aim and get the balance right between growing homegrown talent and attracting those we need to from abroad, so that we have the best chances of growing our science base and the spin-outs.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that AI literacy should be extended to the police force and the judiciary? In very recent cases, it is clear that AI provided incorrect quotes in compiling reports and writing judgments; and in the case of the West Midlands Police, a non-existent football match was cited as a reason why Maccabi fans should not be allowed into Birmingham. Do we not have to do a lot more to teach people how to use AI properly?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right that AI has huge potential, but that getting right its adoption and the use of critical skills, whether in the public or private sector, is an integral part of ensuring that it drives productivity and all the promised expectations.

Data Adequacy Status: EU Data Protection Standards

Debate between Lord Hunt of Kings Heath and Baroness Lloyd of Effra

Thursday 4th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

To take that question in two parts, we are confident about the EU’s scrutiny of our legislation. The Commission has started its review and published the report that I mentioned in July. The European Data Protection Board published a non-legally binding opinion on its draft decision on 20 October. We are confident that a member state vote will take place ahead of the 27 December deadline. The EU’s proposals to change its data protection framework have only recently been published. We will have a look at the details of those changes as and when they become clear and are confirmed.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, related to data security is superintelligent AI. Many recent reports have suggested that this is a huge threat to our global security. Are we discussing this with the EU and other international partners to try to mitigate some of the potential damage that could be caused by it?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

We continue to look at all potential AI threats and are immensely assisted in this by the work of the AI Security Institute, which has deepened our understanding of critical security threats posed by all sorts of frontier AI and the type that the noble Lord mentioned. We continue to talk about this to international partners.