Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Human Relationships and Society

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Excerpts

Friday 5th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, I too join the chorus in thanks to the most reverend Primate for her excellent and thoughtful introduction to this debate—and, of course, for the impeccable timing. As we have already heard from the noble Lord, Lord Knight, Anthropic’s co-founder has called for a “brake” on AI. At the same time, we are hearing from Cambridge that artificial intelligence has developed a vaccine. I argue—I hope the most reverend Primate agrees with me—that divine intervention is at work. Putting God at the centre of our thinking, as a person of faith, I also accept that technology shapes our life in the modern age. Yet behind these changes, we should never forget, as we have been reminded by a number of speakers, that it is the human mind that gave birth to that new idea and that technological advancement.

I grew up in a very close-knit family. Discussions around the dinner table were not optional and not merely encouraged; they were vital and part of our fabric. My father likened the advent of the mobile phone age as the start of the decline in the art of human conversation. Calculations, he said, were not for calculators but for the mind—he was an accountant. Yet to my children’s generation, AI is and will become a greater part of their lives. I recall my youngest son—who will be embarrassed by my reference to him—expressing total disbelief that my childhood had no mobile phones or internet. Indeed, he refers to that golden age and my father’s words as “the ancient times when Daddy was a child”.

Behind this humour lies a serious challenge. AI is no longer a distant concept; it is not science fiction. That reality presents extraordinary opportunities and, in terms of defining human relationships, an ever-evolving challenge. In relation to faith, I have seen AI search scripture and provide visual and interactive learning at the touch of a button. AI is changing learning, as we have already heard. Remote villages can access knowledge once the bastion of the greatest universities. In medicine, doctors can diagnose and treat illnesses more quickly and even remotely. Scientific discoveries may now take months rather than years. The potential for human advancement through AI is incredible. To quote Captain Kirk from “Star Trek”, “the final frontier” is being realised not just in space but right here on earth.

Technology has always been most powerful not when it changes operations but when it changes human behaviour. The printing press and the telephone transformed communication. The internet transformed connectivity. AI transforms relationships. That is why we must ask not only what AI can do but what it should do. Human relationships are built on qualities that cannot easily be coded: trust, empathy, compassion, loyalty, forgiveness and love. As the most reverend Primate reminded us, these are not algorithms; they are deeply human qualities fostered by the beating heart, the human mind and lived experiences. An AI system may tell us what someone is feeling, but understanding sorrow is not the same as experiencing grief. Simulating compassion is not the same as feeling it. A machine may generate a sympathetic response, but only a human heart truly cares. Yet we must also acknowledge that AI may help strengthen relationships, as we have heard, for families and for people with disabilities. Used wisely, AI can bring people together; used poorly, it can drive them apart.

We are already seeing a world where individuals can spend hours connected digitally while feeling increasingly disconnected emotionally. The noble Lord, Lord Alderdice, made that point. If a machine becomes easier to talk to than another person, we may lose some of the patience essential to human relationships. After all, unlike AI, our spouses, children, friends and colleagues do not arrive—I am sure the noble Lord, Lord Knight, agrees with me—with “update settings” or “refresh” buttons. Some may seek it. I know my wife, in my absence as a Foreign Minister, probably sought it—unsuccessfully, I would argue.

Perhaps that is precisely the point. As we have heard, human relationships derive their value from their imperfections: the awkward conversation, the misunderstandings, the disagreements and the look. These are not flaws in humanity; they are part of what makes us exactly that—human. We must ensure that innovation is guided by ethics, that regulation keeps pace with capability and that human dignity remains at the centre of technological progress. Therefore, can the Minister say what the Government’s plans are on ensuring that these principles are upheld? What conversations about that are we having with partners?

In conclusion, we must teach future generations that, while artificial intelligence may be able to answer some questions, it is human intelligence, wisdom and compassion that give meaning to our lives. At least, that is the argument that my wife and I present to our three human wonders at home—their response is, “Hmm, we’re not convinced”. The future should be a partnership in which technology and AI enhance the best in humanity, as the most reverend Primate reminded us. If we get that balance right, artificial intelligence will not diminish human relationships; it will give us, perhaps, even more reason to value them.