Artificial Intelligence: UK Preparedness

Lord Pitkeathley of Camden Town Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Pitkeathley of Camden Town]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the UK is adequately prepared for the risks and opportunities presented by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Leong) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will harness AI opportunities by measures including expanding our domestic compute infrastructure, backing UK start-ups and investing in skills. We have established the AI Security Institute to deepen our understanding of frontier AI risks and are already taking actions on emerging issues, including those linked to AI chatbots. As recent developments have shown, we will back our regulators to act decisively when required.

[Lord Pitkeathley of Camden Town (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply and acknowledge the long-standing work of many noble Lords on this issue. Given the pace of AI development and the risks highlighted by analyses such as AI 2027, can my noble friend outline how the Government are preparing the UK and engaging with international partners for what lies ahead and whether, in the absence of a specialist AI committee this year, there is scope to strengthen cross-departmental collaboration within this House?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, the AI Security Institute conducts research, builds tools to understand and mitigate frontier AI risks, and works with like-minded partners through the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science to advance the science of AI evaluations. We will continue to update this House with our latest initiatives to ensure that the UK understands and, where necessary, mitigates the impacts of advanced AI systems.