02 February 2024 , 09:30
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The UK needs to be more upbeat about artificial intelligence (AI) or risk missing out on a tech 'goldrush', warns a House of Lords Committee.
They believe the focus has been too much on AI safety and potential threats, rather than its benefits. In a significant report on AI and large language models (LLMs), the Lords Communications and Digital Committee compared the impact of this technology to the invention of the internet.
However, they cautioned that the UK must balance its approach to consider the opportunities AI can offer, or risk losing international influence and reliance on overseas tech firms. The committee also stated that some of the "apocalyptic" concerns about AI threatening human existence are exaggerated and should not distract from addressing more immediate issues.
The first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November. The Government brought together representatives from over 25 nations, the UN and EU to discuss the long-term threats of AI technology. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have stated that to reap the benefits of AI, governments and tech firms must first "grip the risks".
The report called for mandatory safety tests for high-risk AI models and more focus on safety by design. It urged the Government to prioritise open competition and transparency in the AI market. The committee welcomed the Government's work on positioning the UK as an AI leader. However, it said a more positive vision for the sector was needed to reap the social and economic benefits.
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The report called for greater support for AI start-ups, a boost for computing infrastructure and more work to improve digital skills. It also suggested exploring the potential for a sovereign UK large language model. Baroness Stowell, chair of the Lords Communications and Digital Committee, said: "The rapid development of AI Large Language Models is likely to have a profound effect on society, comparable to the introduction of the internet."
She added: "That makes it vital for the Government to get its approach right and not miss out on opportunities particularly not if this is out of caution for far-off and improbable risks. We need to address risks in order to be able to take advantage of the opportunities but we need to be proportionate and practical. We must avoid the UK missing out on a potential AI goldrush."
She also warned: "One lesson from the way technology markets have developed since the inception of the internet is the danger of market dominance by a small group of companies. The Government must ensure exaggerated predictions of an AI driven apocalypse, coming from some of the tech firms, do not lead it to policies that close down open-source AI development or exclude innovative smaller players from developing AI services."
Finally, she cautioned: "We must be careful to avoid regulatory capture by the established technology companies in an area where regulators will be scrabbling to keep up with rapidly developing technology. There are risks associated with the wider dissemination of LLMs.
"The most concerning of these are the possibility of making existing malicious actions quicker and easier from cyber attacks to the manipulation of images for child sexual exploitation. The Government should focus on how these can be tackled and not become distracted by sci-fi end-of-the world scenarios."
"One area of AI disruption that can and should be tackled promptly is the use of copyrighted material to train LLMs. LLMs rely on ingesting massive datasets to work properly but that does not mean they should be able to use any material they can find without permission or paying rightsholders for the privilege. This is an issue the Government can get a grip of quickly and it should do so."
"These issues will be of huge significance over the coming years and we expect the Government to act on the concerns we have raised and take the steps necessary to make the most of the opportunities in front of us."
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said AI will not be a "mass destroyer of jobs" and "there is great potential with it". He told the BBC he was an "optimist", adding: "I'm an economic historian, before I became a central banker. Economies adapt, jobs adapt, and we learn to work with it. And I think, you get a better result by people with machines than with machines on their own."
A spokesperson from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), said: "We do not accept this the UK is a clear leader in AI research and development, and as a Government we are already backing AI's boundless potential to improve lives, pouring millions of pounds into rolling out solutions that will transform healthcare, education and business growth, including through our newly announced AI Opportunity Forum."
The spokesperson added: "The future of AI is safe AI. It is only by addressing the risks of today and tomorrow that we can harness its incredible opportunities and attract even more of the jobs and investment that will come from this new wave of technology. That's why we have spent more than any other government on safety research through the AI Safety Institute and are promoting a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation."
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