Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)

My Lords, I too congratulate my fellow solicitor, the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, and my noble friend Lord Holmes of Richmond on their amendments. We are following up on the exchanges that took place at Question Time earlier today, when the Minister—the noble Lord, Lord Vallance—offered to give us a reading list so that we could peruse the subject during the vacation, when he explained that, sadly, the Government are not yet able to produce their consultation paper. When the noble Baroness the Minister sums up this debate, can she identify for us what her noble friend had in mind? We are anxious to make sure that we are up to date on these very important subjects. AI technologies are evolving at pace, touching every corner of the economy, from manufacturing and logistics to retail, healthcare and particularly—as my noble fellow lawyer knows—professional services. In the context of work, AI offers real potential: it can support productivity, streamline processes and free individuals from repetitive and burdensome tasks. It may also, if properly deployed, open up new opportunities for people who have historically faced barriers to employment. However, as the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, just reminded us, alongside that, there are real concerns. He instanced a number of them, and they are set out in Amendment 168; they are about fairness, transparency, accountability and, indeed, the role of human oversight in the decisions that affect people’s lives and livelihoods. It is therefore important that we take a balanced, thoughtful approach. The noble Lord, Lord Pitkeathley of Camden Town, pointed out, quite rightly, that a number of non-compete agreements are now emerging. We have to be aware that these could so easily stifle innovation, and this must be all about encouraging and stimulating innovation. Therefore, it is very important that we take a balanced, thoughtful approach. But we should not allow technological change to outpace our frameworks for fairness, ethics and employment rights. In conclusion, AI is not a distant or abstract issue; it is here, evolving and shaping the future of work. I hope we can move forward in a way that is both pro innovation and firmly rooted in the values of fairness, dignity and accountability. We very much look forward to hearing the Minister’s thoughts on these subjects.