Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing deployment of generative AI systems in consumer-facing technologies such as voice assistants; and what steps they are taking to ensure that frameworks relating to data protection, consumer protection and product safety remain effective in the deployment of such technologies.

We are committed to ensuring the UK is the leading adopter of AI in the G7, empowering British workers and businesses to seize its benefits by creating more rewarding jobs, increasing productivity and driving growth in our leading sectors.

AI assurance enables consumers to be confident that the products they buy will work as intended, which is why the Government is taking steps to build the AI assurance ecosystem that underpins safe deployment of AI, as set out in the Roadmap to Trusted Third-Party AI Assurance. This includes establishing the Centre for AI Measurement, led by the National Physical Laboratory, to accelerate the development of new, innovative AI assurance techniques.

The law also requires that all consumer products must be safe before they are placed on the market. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and local authority trading standards have enforcement powers across product safety regulations to take non-compliant or unsafe products off the UK market. The product safety framework will better respond to emerging risks posed by digital technologies, including AI-enabled and smart products, ensuring innovation does not come at the expense of consumer safety.