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 improve online safety protections for children using artificial intelligence-enabled platforms and services.

Protecting children online, including on AI-enabled platforms and services, is a priority for this government. The Online Safety Act requires some AI chatbots to protect all their users from illegal content and to protect children from harmful content.

We are strengthening these protections using powers in the Crime and Policing Act to bring unregulated AI chatbots into scope of Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties.

Furthermore, the power in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act allows us to act quickly to further protect children following the conclusion of the children’s digital wellbeing consultation.