Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the safety measures in the Online Safety Act 2023 apply to conversational interactions between users and artificial intelligence chatbots where an online search has not been conducted.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
AI chatbots that allow users to share content with one another are regulated by the Online Safety Act. This is in addition to chatbots which search live websites to provide results. Over 100,000 services are in scope of the Act including many services with chatbots.
These services must protect users from illegal content, and they must protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Government has been clear that we will act to address new and emerging AI harms. For example, government is tackling the disgusting harm of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse with a new offence to criminalise AI models which have been optimised for this purpose. The Secretary of State has also commissioned the department to see what gaps there are if any, in coverage of the Online Safety Act.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the technology industry to ensure artificial intelligence models are tested robustly before deployment, and to embed safeguards such as suicide prevention into model development.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has ongoing partnerships with artificial intelligence developers to ensure the safety of the models they develop. It is essential that AI models are appropriately tested to ensure safeguards are robust, possible harms are considered and risks mitigated, to ensure the British public are protected.
The role of the AI Security Institute (AISI) is to build an evidence base of these risks, to inform government decision making and help make AI more secure and reliable. AISI works in close collaboration with AI companies to assess model safeguards and suggest mitigations. To date, AISI has tested over 30 models from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic. AISI’s findings lead to tangible changes to AI models before deployment, reducing the risk from day one.
Once deployed, many AI services are captured by the Online Safety Act 2023, which places robust duties on all in-scope user-to-user and search services, including those deploying generative artificial intelligence chatbots, to prevent users from encountering illegal suicide and self-harm content. These duties apply regardless of whether content is created by AI or by humans.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the risks of harm from generative artificial intelligence and chatbots.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Generative AI services, including AI chatbots, which allow users to share content with one another or search live websites to provide search results, are regulated under the Online Safety Act. In-scope services are required to protect all users from illegal content and children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.
The Government will not hesitate to act where required – for example we have introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create child sexual abuse material.
Responding to the AI Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their AI capabilities. We are committed to ensuring our rule book is up to date and future-proofed so the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for greater pricing transparency in the mobile and broadband sector where some deals are accessible only through negotiation at the end of fixed contracts.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Rt Honourable Lady to the answer given on 27 October 2025 to Question UIN HL10944.
People need to feel empowered when interacting with the telecoms market so they can be confident that they are getting a fair and transparent deal. DSIT’s Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom’s CEO on 31st October to ask for its assessment of telecoms consumer protections and what further action should be taken.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in considering legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, what powers they are considering in relation to superintelligent AI that poses a threat to national security.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There is considerable debate and uncertainty around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), but the possibility of their development must be taken seriously.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already regulated in the UK, and a range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality and sectoral regulation. But it is clear that the most advanced AI systems pose distinct opportunities and risks.
The AI Security Institute (AISI) has already deepened our understanding of national security risks, but the Government remains committed to taking further steps where required to ensure that the UK is prepared for the changes that AI will bring.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to expand the advisory role of the AI Security Institute to include binding regulatory functions.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are hugely optimistic that AI will improve the lives of British people – but the most advanced systems pose distinct opportunities and risks. The AI Security Institute is committed to rigorous, scientific research into the most serious emerging risks from AI – including cyber and chemical-biological risks, criminal misuse, and risks from autonomous systems.
Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use by existing regulators. A range of rules already apply, including data protection, competition, equality legislation and other sectoral regulation. However, we are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for greater pricing transparency in the mobile and broadband sector, specifically regarding the practice where some deals are only accessible through a negotiation process at the end of a fixed-term contract.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has not undertaken a specific assessment, however we engage stakeholders, including Citizens Advice, who conduct relevant research.
Government also works closely with Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, who have introduced a range of measures to increase pricing transparency. For example, since 2020 providers must issue end-of-contract notifications to warn customers when their current contract is ending, and what they could save by signing up to a new deal. In 2022, Ofcom introduced one-page contract summaries for new customers, ensuring clarity on key terms like price increases.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current regulation of AI chatbots.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government believes most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use. Generative AI services, including AI chatbots, which allow users to share content with one another or search live websites to provide search results, are regulated under the Online Safety Act. In-scope services are required to protect all users from illegal content and children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.
Responding to the AI Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their capabilities. We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes which AI will bring.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce statutory safeguards to ensure that AI chatbots cannot be used to simulate sexual activity or scenarios involving children.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children – regulated services must remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.
We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring. The government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill which criminalises possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent findings of the Internet Watch Foundation about AI chatbots that enable users to simulate sexual scenarios with child avatars.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children – regulated services must remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.
The government recognises the need to ensure our legislation keeps pace with changing technologies. The government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill which criminalises possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material. We will not hesitate to strengthen the law further, where necessary, to protect children.