Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 4876 and with reference to the report noted in the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 2866 on Land Registry: Blockchain, whether her Department is taking steps to implement blockchain technologies in areas not related to cryptoassets for finance.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given in response to PQ4875.
My department will continue to monitor developments in the use of both financial and non-financial applications of blockchain technology and will work with other government departments and industry to ensure we maximise its potential to spur UK growth and innovation.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 2866, whether she plans to take steps to further roll out the use of blockchain technologies.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to maximising the benefits and minimising the risks of new technologies. The Government has committed to increasing public expenditure on R&D to £20 billion per annum by 2024/2025. This cash increase will support the growth of innovator hubs and continue to fund a range of R&D programmes which will help boost the potential of new technologies including blockchain.
My department will continue to monitor the development of distributed ledger technology to ensure we maximise its potential to spur UK growth and innovation.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 2866 on Land Registry: Blockchain, what steps she is taking to overcome the regulatory uncertainty associated with blockchain technologies.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to creating a regulatory environment in which firms can innovate, while maintaining financial stability and clear regulatory standards so that people can use new blockchain technologies both reliably and safely.
Cryptoasset markets, for example, continue to develop with increasing pace and complexity, which brings risk as well as opportunity. Risk-taking is a part of the innovation cycle, however ongoing turbulence in the cryptoasset markets has highlighted some of the implications for markets and investors. We think this reinforces the case for clear, effective, timely regulation. The Government is therefore proposing to bring a broad suite of new cryptoasset activities into the regulatory perimeter for financial services for the first time. This includes exchange activities, custody and lending.
HM Treasury launched a consultation on the Future Financial Services Regulatory Regime for Cryptoassets in February and published its response to stakeholder feedback and final proposals on 30 October. The consultation delivers on the Government’s commitment to bring forward proposals for regulating activities relating to the trading and investment of cryptoassets, such as Bitcoin.
The Government has already taken action to address risks to consumers and market integrity in cryptoasset markets. Cryptoassets were brought into scope of UK anti-money laundering legislation in 2020, and following the government’s legislation, the financial regulator has commenced enforcement for cryptoassets financial promotions, requiring them to be fair, clear and not misleading.
More broadly, my department will continue to monitor developments in the use of blockchain technology and will work with other government departments to identify where this could require the introduction of further regulation.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the open letter asking industry leaders to pause artificial intelligence research, published by the Future of Life Institute on 22 March 2023.
Answered by Paul Scully
It is important that industry voices are actively engaged in the discourse around responsible AI. British based companies, like Deepmind, are at the forefront of responsible innovation. However, it should be noted that questions have been raised regarding the veracity of some of the signatures of the open letter on Artificial Intelligence published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI). Some of the researchers whose work was cited in the letter have also apparently raised concerns. It is also important to note that the letter is not expressly targeted towards the UK or any other government.
Government recognises the need to act to adapt the way in which we regulate AI as systems become more powerful, and are put to different use. As Sir Patrick Vallance highlighted in his regulatory review, there is a small window of opportunity to get this right and build a regulatory regime that enables innovation while addressing the risks. Government agrees that a collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing AI risk and supporting responsible AI development and use for the benefit of society. The AI regulation white paper we published on 29 March identifies “trustworthy”, “proportionate” and “collaborative” as key characteristics of the proposed AI regulation framework.
The AI regulation white paper sets out principles for the responsible development of AI in the UK. These principles such as safety, fairness, and accountability are at the very heart of our approach to ensuring the responsible development and use of AI. We will also establish a central risk function to bring together cutting-edge knowledge from industry, regulators, academia and civil society – including skilled computer scientists with a deep technical understanding of AI – to monitor future risks and adapt our approach if necessary. This is aligned with the calls to action in FLI’s letter.
In addition, our Foundation Model Taskforce has been established to strengthen UK capability – in a way that is aligned with the UK’s values – as this potentially transformative technology develops.
The approach to AI regulation outlined in the AI regulation White Paper is also complemented by parallel work on AI Standards, supported by the AI Standards Hub launched in October 2022, and via the Centre for Data Ethics and Innvovation’s AI Assurance Roadmap, published in December 2021. In concert, our holistic approach to AI governance combining regulation with an approach to standards development and AI assurance is in line with efforts to develop shared safety protocols, and will at the same time allow the UK to benefit from AI technologies while protecting people and our fundamental values.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps to regulate (a) the use of and (b) research into artificial intelligence.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is taking a number of steps to support responsible research and promote ethical practices in the AI industry. The AI Regulation White Paper sets out 5 cross-sector principles which will guide and inform the responsible development of AI. In addition, this Government has allocated £2 million for the development of regulatory sandboxes for businesses to make it easier for them to navigate the regulatory landscape so they can bring innovative products to market whilst doing so in line with our principles. The consultation closed on 21 June and the Government will provide a response in due course.
£8.5 million funding has been made available via the Arts and Humanities Research Council in June 2022 June for ‘Enabling a Responsible AI Ecosystem’, the first major academic research programme on AI ethics and regulation of this scale. This is complemented by the £117 million investment secured this year for new UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training – on top of £100 million for existing Centres funded in 2019 – which include ethics and social responsibility courses for the PhD candidates they train.
Announced in April this year, the Government is also establishing a Foundation Model Taskforce with £100 million start-up funding to ensure sovereign capabilities and broad adoption of safe and reliable foundation models. The Taskforce will focus on opportunities to establish the UK as a world leader in foundation models and their applications across the economy, and acting as a global standard bearer for AI safety.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to scrutinise the activities of artificial intelligence companies.
Answered by Paul Scully
The rapid acceleration of AI foundation models represents enormous opportunities for productivity and public good, bringing an estimated $7 trillion in global growth over the next 10 years. However, this technology could also pose significant national security and safety risks. It is important to ensure the right guardrails are in place, as doing so will let us realise this technology's huge opportunities.
The Government has published its White Paper setting out its proposed approach to AI regulation that is context-based, proportionate and adaptable, drawing on the expertise of regulators and encouraging them to consider AI in their own sectors. A central risk function will undertake horizon scanning to identify new and emerging AI risks.
The government has also committed an initial £100 million to set up the Foundation Model Taskforce to build UK capabilities in foundation models and leverage our existing strengths, and be a global standard bearer for AI safety.
The UK is well positioned to lead the world in AI safety. We have announced plans to host a global AI safety summit later this year to convene leading nations, industry and academia to drive targeted, rapid international action to guarantee safety and security at the frontier of this technology.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the potential risks of artificial intelligence large language models.
Answered by Paul Scully
The rapid acceleration of AI foundation models represents enormous opportunities for productivity and public good, bringing an estimated $7 trillion in global growth over the next 10 years. However, this technology could also pose significant national security and safety risks. It is important to ensure the right guardrails are in place, as doing so will let us realise this technology's huge opportunities.
The Government has published its White Paper setting out its proposed approach to AI regulation that is context-based, proportionate and adaptable, drawing on the expertise of regulators and encouraging them to consider AI in their own sectors. A central risk function will undertake horizon scanning to identify new and emerging AI risks.
The government has also committed an initial £100 million to set up the Foundation Model Taskforce to build UK capabilities in foundation models and leverage our existing strengths, and be a global standard bearer for AI safety.
The UK is well positioned to lead the world in AI safety. We have announced plans to host a global AI safety summit later this year to convene leading nations, industry and academia to drive targeted, rapid international action to guarantee safety and security at the frontier of this technology.