Societal Impact of AI: Government Policy Debate
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Helen Maguire
Main Page: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)Department Debates - View all Helen Maguire's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Societal Impact of AI: Government Policy
Helen Maguire Excerpts(1 month ago)
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Victoria Collins (Harpenden and Berkhamsted) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I wholeheartedly thank the hon. Member for Poole (Neil Duncan-Jordan) for securing the debate. Its richness shows that we need also to have it in the main Chamber, because the Government need to tackle this issue head-on. Before I dive in, I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
The Government have done some work, but it still seems that AI policy is done by announcement, rather than by taking a real, strategic overview of how it will power our society, and there is still no sign of an AI Bill. As has been talked about today, AI is everywhere, and the Government must tackle it head-on. They need to see that it is a tool that can be used to benefit our society or that can lead to our society’s demise.
Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) (LD)
On the demise of society, AI can fuel the threat of disinformation, which can inflame tension and distort debate. We have seen that in Epsom and Ewell. Does my hon. Friend agree that AI must be regulated and that the Government must bring forward the AI Bill?
Victoria Collins
Absolutely, and that has been at the core of a lot of our debate today.
AI can drive inequalities, break down our society, security and safety, and take away jobs, or it can be used to tackle our biggest problems, empower individuals and drive growth. AI is a bit like the electricity of today—a supercharged version of electricity—and we need to think about where we are going to direct it. At some point, we started using electricity to light our cities and to power our homes, businesses and industries; now we need to think about where we will direct AI, and how we prepare people for that future.
The hon. Member for Poole and others talked about the future of our economy, tax and wealth, and there are key examples that highlight how important that is. We have started talking about donkeycorns; Members may have heard of unicorns, but donkeycorns are billion-dollar companies with one or two people. There is a legend that OpenClaw was a one-person company that was sold for £1 billion. That is a real shift in our economy, and we need to tackle it head-on.
As Liberal Democrats, we believe in embracing that progress and change, but we also believe in empowering individuals. When it comes to AI, we thought about tackling that big picture, which is why we launched a project called “Everyday AI”. We brought together over 100 global stakeholders from industry and civil society—to look at a Liberal vision for AI and how Britain can thrive in the age of AI. We looked at backing British innovation, empowering people and building trust, and building infrastructure for success.
As the right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds) said, no one knows where we are going. As a Member of Parliament and a politician, I often feel it is difficult to sound neither utopian nor dystopian about this issue. However, it is crucial that we ask the right questions, and keep on asking them, to make sure we are going in the right direction.