Fewer than one in 10 MPs are confident that existing UK regulators will be able to effectively govern AI, according to new research.
A survey conducted by YouGov in association with the AI policy network Appraise found that just 6% of MPs believe existing regulators have the necessary skills or expertise to handle the upcoming regulation of AI.
The findings will come as a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has said that he wants the UK to be the “geographic home of global AI safety” and take a domestic and international lead on regulating technologies like ChatGPT.
While Sunak may have confidence that the UK can lead AI regulation globally, the survey of 108 MPs found that just 7% of the prime minister’s own party had confidence in regulators’ ability to handle AI.
The opposition appears even more sceptical, with just 6% of Labour MPs expressing confidence.
“There’s been a huge amount of scaremongering since the government published its AI whitepaper. But good policy is never created in a climate of paranoia,” said James Boyd-Wallis, co-founder of the Appraise Network.
“If we focus too much on long-term fear factors, we’re in danger of overlooking the benefits and risks of AI in the here and now.”
Boyd-Wallis added we need “greater debate about what is safe and what is not and strike a balance” between the benefits and risks.
“That’s the only way we’ll get effective policy, informed by evidence, that supports a vibrant AI sector and our society more broadly,” he said.
It comes as UK regulators have come under fire in other domains, such as the Competition and Markets Authority for blocking Microsoft’s takeover of gaming giant Activision Blizzard.
Last month the CMA launched a review of foundation AI models to determine their impact on markets.
In February, Liberal Democrat MP and party spokesperson for the Treasury told UKTN that AI regulation posed a major challenge for politicians due to a consistent lack of expertise in the technology among policymakers.
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