Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Human Relationships and Society

Lord Craig of Radley Excerpts

Friday 5th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Craig of Radley (CB)]

My Lords, I too am grateful to the most reverend Primate for so persuasively introducing this debate.

I will express some thoughts about AI by way of historical analogy. In the years following the Second World War, the introduction of jet propulsion transformed not simply aviation but the wider conduct of world affairs. It altered speed, reach and even the balance of power. In due course it has soared us onwards into space and beyond. Today, we witness another major transformation, albeit in a different domain. Artificial intelligence does not primarily change how fast or far we can physically travel but how fast we can think, decide and act. The jet age compressed geography; the age of artificial intelligence compresses decision-making.

In security and defence, jet propulsion reshaped military doctrine through speed, altitude and reach. Artificial intelligence is reshaping military doctrine through information, autonomy and integration. It affects intelligence analysis, targeting choices, logistics and, above all, the degree to which decisions themselves may be delegated to machines. The question is no longer simply what machines can do but about what they should be allowed to decide and to do.

Jet propulsion transformed a major sector and enabled globalisation; artificial intelligence does that and more. It is widespread in the public service. It embraces transport and industry, education and healthcare, and culture and climate change, and even, as we have discussed in today’s debate, explores our identity, creativity and human purpose. This is not just sectoral change; it is societal, and that makes governance far more complex. The jet age required new rules—airspace management, safety standards and international co-ordination—and, over time, institutions capable of managing and regulating those challenges were introduced.

With artificial intelligence, the challenge is more profound. We are not only regulating systems; we must set boundaries around autonomy, accountability and human responsibility. Questions arise. Who is accountable when an AI-supported decision proves to be wrong or goes wrong? How do we preserve human judgment and dignity in increasingly automated systems? How do we safeguard intellectual property rights? As other noble Lords have stressed, these are not purely technical matters; they are constitutional and ethical questions of major magnitude and concern.

Finally, there is the question of pace and diffusion. Jet propulsion spread gradually, while artificial intelligence has spread—and is spreading—rapidly and globally, not only among states. That creates both great opportunity and, I fear, unmeasurable risk. It offers the possibility of extraordinary advances in productivity, science and public service, as well as in defence and security. However, it also raises serious concerns about inequality, misuse and erosion or loss of trust when the fake seems even more real than reality. Will it ever be totally free of hallucinations? If the jet age determined who could arrive first, artificial intelligence may determine who can decide best and fastest once there—indeed, even before getting there.

The challenge is to ensure that human judgment remains central, accountability remains clear and the benefits of innovation remain widely and fairly shared. Above all, we must ensure that technological progress continues to serve human purposes, rather than mastering them. Despite failure and the loss of life in Comet civil airline crashes in the early 1950s and Apollo moonshots, mankind persisted and has made a success of jet propulsion. Even with some tragedies in the use of AI—and there will be—mankind will surely make a success of AI too.