Proposals to regulate artificial intelligence are at least a year behind as the UK minister plans a bumper bill to regulate the use of technology and its copyrighted materials.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will introduce a “comprehensive” AI bill in the next Congressional session to address concerns about issues such as safety and copyright.
This could raise concerns about delays in technology regulation before the next King’s speech. There is no date for the next King’s speech, but some sources say it could take place in May 2026.
Labour originally planned to introduce a short, narrowly drafted AI bill within months of entering an office that would have focused on large-scale language models such as the CHATGPT.
The legislation would have required companies to hand over the models for testing by the UK AI Security Institute. It was intended to address concerns that AI models have been so advanced that they could pose risks to humanity.
The bill is behind, and the minister chose to match Donald Trump’s administration in the US due to concerns that regulations could undermine the appeal of UK AI companies.
The Minister now wants to include copyright rules in AI companies as part of the AI bill.
“We feel that we can use that vehicle to find a solution with copyright,” a government source said. “We’ve been meeting with both creators and tech people, and there are some interesting ideas for the future. Once the data bill passes, the work will start in earnest.”
The government is already locked in a conflict with the House over copyright rules in another data bill. AI companies can train their models using copyrighted materials, unless the rights holder opts out.
It sparks a fierce backlash from the creative sector, with artists like Elton John, Paul McCartney and Kate Bush throwing weight behind the campaign to oppose change.
This week, Piers supported an amendment to the data bill that required AI companies to disclose whether to train models using copyrighted materials to implement current copyright laws.
However, despite Kyle expressing regret over the way the government proceeded with the change, the minister refused to retreat. The government argues that the data bill is not a suitable tool for copyright issues and has pledged to publish an economic impact assessment and a series of technical reports on copyright and AI issues.
In a letter to lawmakers on Saturday, Kyle further committed to establishing a Congressional cross-party working group on AI and copyright.
Beevan Kidron, a film director and crossbenchpier campaigning on behalf of the creative sector, said on Friday that the minister “shafted the creative industry and proved to be adamant that Britain’s second largest industrial sector.”
Kyle told Commons last month that AI and copyright should be treated as part of another “comprehensive” bill.
A survey released in March by the ADA Lovelace Institute and the Alan -Turing Institute found that UK citizens (88%) should have the authority to suspend the use of AI products if they are deemed to pose a serious risk. Over 75% say that governments or regulators should oversee the safety of AI as well as private companies.
Scott Singer, an AI expert at Carnegie Donations for International Peace, said: “The UK has strategically positioned between the US and the EU. Like the US, the UK is trying to avoid overly aggressive regulations that could harm innovation while exploring ways to protect consumers meaningfully.
