Ben Spencer

In March we published a report and impact assessment on AI and copyright, which included consideration of the Getty judgment. The Getty judgment is subject to appeal, and we will consider any further implications following the outcome of that appeal. We are continuing to engage with stakeholders to build our understanding of the issues surrounding creator control and input transparency and whether there is an appropriate role for government in addressing them. We will not rush to legislate until we are confident the approach works for creators, consumers and the wider economy.

Kanishka Narayan MP, the Minister for Artificial Intelligence, has ministerial responsibility for the AI Security Institute, which includes its Director.

Hon. Members can write to the AI Security Institute through the Cabinet Office's ministerial correspondence mailbox, [email protected].

The AI Security Institute (AISI) has trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI companies. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves.

As I outlined in my speech on 12 October, the Government has been working closely with the US government and frontier labs to ensure AISI continues to have access to the most powerful AI models before they are released.

AI scientists at AISI continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models to build a scientific understanding of the risks posed by the most advanced AI systems and develop technical mitigations against them, so that policy decisions are grounded in evidence.

This Government remains committed to ensuring AISI is equipped to fulfil its vital role, and will continue to keep the House updated on its work.

As I outlined in my speech on 12 October, the Government has been working closely with the US government and frontier labs to ensure the AI Security Institute continues to have access to the most powerful AI models before they are released.

AI scientists at the AI Security Institute continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, including Gemini 4 Argon, to build a scientific understanding of the risks posed by the most advanced AI systems and develop technical mitigations against them, so that policy decisions are grounded in evidence.

The Prime Minister’s AI Taskforce has been established in OPMC to drive the government’s overall strategy on AI and to unlock the opportunities it holds for growth, prosperity and public sector transformation. It is a small central unit of 60-80FTE which will set AI strategy across government and work with departments to deliver on the government’s key AI priorities.

The AI Economics Institute is currently operational, with a small core team already in place and a recruitment campaign for additional roles to launch imminently. A Director has been appointed, taking up post in early November 2026.

Professor Simon Johnson, Nobel Prize-winning economist, former Chief Economist of the IMF, has been appointed as Chair of the Institute. His appointment brings a wealth of experience in understanding how AI can create good jobs and boost shared prosperity, and how institutions are formed and affect economic growth.

The headcount of the AI Security Institute is 241, equivalent to 211.2 full time equivalent (FTE) posts (as of 12 October 2026). This includes over 100 members of technical frontier AI specialists in the AI Security Institute’s Research Unit.

The Institute’s future staffing is managed in line with the budget it has allocated in the Spending Review, and is kept under regular review so that it is resourced to deliver its priorities.

Following the machinery of government changes in July 2026, the AI Economics Institute (AIEI) will operate as a joint unit of the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. It brings together expertise in economics, data and tech to provide robust analysis on how AI is affecting the labour market and wider economy.

The Institute is currently being stood up and based in former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offices whilst a permanent location is identified.

The Minister for AI has not yet made any direct ministerial appointments.

The AI Security Institute is not recruiting a direct replacement for the role of Chief Technology Officer. The newly appointed Chief Strategy Officer, as well as the Institute's two Research Directors, will take on the role's relevant responsibilities.

The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. AISI is in daily conversation with industry partners, including Anthropic, and works closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.

Distillation is the practice of training a "student" model to reproduce the capabilities or characteristics of a more capable "teacher" model. Developers commonly distill their own models to produce smaller, cheaper versions, and some models are released under licences that expressly permit others, external to their organisation, to do so. Distillation can also be carried out in breach of a model's licence or terms of service. The Department is not aware of any such instances of UK AI models being distilled.

The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the Minister for the Cabinet Office dated 15 July, and subsequent email 8 September, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the then-Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster dated 5 March, and subsequent emails of 13 May and 11 June, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 24 June 2025, Official Report, PQ 60552.

No, the Prime Minister does not use large language model software to help in drafting social media posts.

The Regulatory Innovation Office awarded £3.6 million through the AI Capability Fund to eight regulator-led projects to strengthen capability to regulate and use AI, covering digital regulation, energy, nuclear safety, aviation, data protection, autonomous vehicles and medicines. Seven completed funded delivery by 31 March 2026, with one still in active delivery.

Round 4 of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund awarded up to £7.9 million to 14 projects testing innovative regulatory approaches across health, housing, transport and environmental regulation. Delivery is ongoing, with projects developing regulatory tools, frameworks, guidance, sandboxes and other innovative approaches.

The Department is not aware of any meetings between DBT or DSIT representatives and the China General Technology Research Institute in the last 24 months.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan dashboard was published on 29 January 2026 alongside the progress report AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On. It provides a detailed, action-by-action view of delivery against all 50 recommendations, showing that the Government met its commitments on 38 of them within the first year. The remaining 12 actions are long-term and complex commitments which are firmly in delivery. This forms part of the government’s ongoing programme of work to harness the opportunities from AI, whilst carefully managing the risks.

The consultation on the UK Internal Market Act 2020 follows the UK Government Consultation principles (Consultation principles: guidance - GOV.UK).

The consultation is available in HTML format to provide greater accessibility for users and all pages can be printed in an accessible format.

Alternative methods of completing the consultation are available including online, via email and via post. The Department can provide hard copies of the consultation document upon request.

Annually, in line with the Financial Reporting Council’s Corporate Governance Code, the Post Office Board runs a Board Evaluation exercise to determine skills gaps on the Board and areas for improvement. The outcomes of this review are shared with DBT as the Post Office Shareholder. The Government monitors the implementation of their recommendations via the Shareholder Representative, UK Government Investments, to support the continuous improvement of the Board.

In line with Post Office’s governance framework, the Government recently approved the Post Office Chair to lead the recruitment of new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) specialising in technological transformation and organisational design to complement the Board’s existing composition. A further two new Postmaster NEDs should join the Board in the near future, providing an ongoing voice on behalf of the postmaster community.

The UK has over 70 trade agreements in place. APHA facilities and services managing the risks posed by animal diseases to human and animal health are crucial to underpinning the biosecurity of imports and exports under all of them.

Published impact assessments for the UK’s trade agreements can be found on Gov.uk.

The Government has considered a range of international approaches, including Ireland’s, as part of its work on integrating growing data centre demand securely and efficiently. Officials are working with industry, NESO and Ofgem to explore a range of options for ensuring large electricity users support a secure and efficient electricity system, including the potential role of on-site storage, low carbon generation and demand-side measures.

As set out in the Government’s recent consultation on “Accelerating electricity network connections for strategic demand”, the criteria used to designate projects includes national objectives such as growth, jobs, social value and net zero.

Sites within publicly announced AI Growth Zones will be considered for grid connection support on their individual merits, in line with the relevant assessment processes.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) is developing proposals for electricity bill support for eligible data centres located in AI Growth Zones where they help to reduce overall electricity system costs. BIST is undertaking further policy development on how to support data centres, and the government remains committed to supporting the UK’s ambitions for AI growth and investment.