Why the business voice needs to be heard on AI regulation: Beckie Hart

While the UK needs to maximise the opportunity of AI, with increased adoption comes increased scrutiny. The Prime Minister’s recognition that “AI has an incredible potential to transform our lives for the better but we need to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure,” is welcome.

Safe AI, however, should not mean less AI. Businesses want to adopt AI but are struggling to navigate.

To support improved AI governance several workstreams are underway, the outcomes of which will have permanent ramifications for UK business: These include - the white paper on AI Regulation; a global summit on AI safety to be hosted in the UK; an AI taskforce formed to help the UK build and adopt safe AI; the ‘Hiroshima AI Process’, a ministerial forum for the regulation of AI agreed upon at the G7 and the Lords Communication and Digital Committee large language model inquiry.

These will determine both if the UK will have a thriving AI sector and if businesses can effectively implement AI and it is vital that the voice of UK business is heard to support the implementation of an innovative, proportionate regime without compromising safety.

Businesses support the government’s approach, but it must get the implementation right. The government’s white paper, “AI regulation: a pro-innovation approach”, suggests it will take a light-touch, context-specific and outcome-driven approach led by sectoral regulators.

This is the right decision, particularly in contrast to the more rigid approach taken by the EU’s recent AI act. Additionally, the government has set out plans to improve the coordination of AI governance where it is currently not joined up, or too varied and difficult to navigate.

To support the government to develop a world-leading AI governance ecosystem, the CBI responded to the white paper consultation and set out recommendations across themes that ensure a pro-innovation, proportionate, coordinated and trust-building approach is taken.

These were to firstly consider how the UK should best engage with other AI leaders like the US and EU; secondly, to be prepared to update AI regulatory frameworks as international governance evolves; to recognise the UK’s potential to influence AI regulation in third-party jurisdictions and finally to continue promoting AI through key forums including the Autumn 2023 AI Summit.

Critical work developing these recommendations was carried out across our UK, Brussels and US offices with the input of CBI members. This unique perspective was crucial to developing national and international positions.

As such these recommendations reflect both direct consultation questions as well as additional CBI member priorities.

With further significant projects in the coming months, including the AI summit, we are continuing to engage with members across all sectors as we develop cross-economy positions and are focused on ensuring the UK takes advantage of the opportunity AI represents.

Beckie Hart is CBI regional director for Yorkshire & Humber