Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with external stakeholders on (a) Artificial Intelligence and (b) machine learning; and what plans she has for further discussions.

The Government recognises the importance of engaging a broad community of stakeholders in the development of policy on artificial intelligence and machine learning. In May this year, the Prime Minister and I met with leading global AI labs – Anthropic, Google Deepmind, and Open AI, as well as a number of UK-led firms, many of which are doing cutting edge research and development, including the foundation models that underpin popular services such as chatGPT. Engagement has continued since then, and I am pleased that Ministers met with businesses, academics and civil society during London Tech Week and TechNExt festival in Newcastle. Prior to this, in preparation for the AI Regulation White Paper published in March, my officials engaged with or received feedback from over 130 different stakeholders and we have since continued with significant engagement as the policy develops.

Throughout this all, such meetings help us to understand the wide range of views across the AI ecosystem and foster a responsible approach to governance and development that addresses risks while delivering innovation and growth.