UK gov't calls for action on AI copyright, market competition

The U.K. government is under pressure to increase AI oversight following a House of Lords report highlighting the need for stricter regulations for AI standards.

The United Kingdom government’s response to a parliamentary report on artificial intelligence (AI) resulted in a demand for closer intervention.

A House of Lords February report on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) highlighted the government’s narrowing focus on high‑stakes AI safety, which works as a deterrent to international competition.

In response to the report, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, clarified the government’s AI oversight is in line with most of the parliamentary recommendations.

However, Lords Member Baroness Stowell of Beeston (Tina Stowell) wrote back on May 2, asking the U.K. government to “go beyond its current position” on the way it handles copyright infringement and market competition in AI.

Baroness Stowell, the Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee, House of Lords, pointed out the need for updated copyright legislation. She said:

“On copyright, the Government has set up and subsequently disbanded a failed series of roundtables led by the Intellectual Property Office. The commitment to ministerial engagement is helpful but the next steps have been left unclear.”

Stowell further expressed her disappointment in the government’s lack of commitment to enhanced governance measures for AI standards and policy decisions. She also recommended policy discussions around oversight of market competition.

“We reiterate our suggestion that market competition is made an explicit policy objective: it should be embedded within the design and review process for new policies and standards, and subject to structured internal and external critique.”

The U.K. government’s recent response to the parliamentary signals a new acceptance of regulatory reforms for AI.

Related: Crypto firms among ‘greatest risks’ for money laundering in 2022-2023: UK govt

The U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA) and police were recently authorized to “seize, freeze, and destroy” cryptocurrencies related to crime proceedings without formal arrests.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said that criminals must not profit from illegal activities. Cleverly cited crypto fundraising by groups as the rationale behind the new police powers.

“These reforms will also enhance our national security. Terrorist organisations like Daesh are known to raise funds through crypto transactions and these updated powers will enable our agencies to more easily strip them of their assets.”

The new regulations were implemented following the passage of a crime bill by the U.K. parliament in 2023, which facilitated the rapid seizure of cryptocurrency.