Superintelligent AI

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

Let us have the Lib Dem Bench next and then the Conservative Benches.

[Lord Clement-Jones (LD)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as a consultant to DLA Piper on AI regulation and policy. In their manifesto, the Government promised

“binding regulation on … companies developing the most powerful AI models”,

yet, 18 months later, even in light of the harmful activities of stand-alone AI bots, we have seen neither the promised consultation nor any draft legislation. How can the Government credibly claim to be taking superintelligence seriously when they cannot get round even to publishing a consultation, let alone legislating?

--- Later in debate ---

[Noble Lords]

Labour!

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

They are both Labour.

[Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab)]

My Lords, I am and always have been a faithful. With tighter regulation in the future confidently anticipated, is it not often the case that its absence in the present can impede innovation rather than foster it? Given that many of those responsible for the development of AI—and, in some cases, the development of AI superintelligence—have repeatedly requested tighter controls on their activities, can my noble friend the Minister assure your Lordships’ House that the existing regulatory structures are adequate? Can she describe the mechanisms through which their salience and strength are kept under constant review?