Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-Afl)

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Holmes of Richmond, for securing this important debate. Innovation and technology have brought solutions to everyday problems. Britain can be proud of the fact that it started the Industrial Revolution, but we are now in the fast-moving AI revolution. Either we regulate or we stagnate. It was my Bill that, in 1997, established Britain’s first ever comprehensive DNA database. However, without DNA regulation, we would not have experienced that positive DNA revolution. As a result, we became the first nation in the world to embrace this ground-breaking technology. Nearly 30 years later, the DNA database has positively transformed the effectiveness of medicine, forensic science and research science. Some 175 of the 195 nations in the world now utilise DNA profiles. There was no mention of an AI regulation Bill in the King’s Speech. Meanwhile, AI is being monitored in pieces through the Online Safety Act and a patchwork of policies in various sectors. This is not the same as a coherent framework for the development, deployment and use of AI. It seems to me that clear regulation on the basis of established common-law principles is not the enemy of innovation. Can the Minister please indicate when we are likely to see an AI regulation Bill? The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill is long overdue. In recent months, we have seen airports such as Heathrow, retail chains such as Marks & Spencer, and large manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover all be immobilised by hacking. Two days ago, President Trump created a framework, or clearing house, for federal government to vet powerful new AI models before they are released. This stemmed from Anthropic’s warning that it has developed an AI tool, Claude Mythos, which is an advanced cyber security threat. Will the Minister follow this policy but go one step further than the Americans and make a UK AI clearing house mandatory, not voluntary? For 10 years, I had the privilege of being the vice-president of the British Board of Film Classification. We regulated films and videos from all over the world, including the “Star Wars” epics. Unless we introduce effective AI regulation now, AI could become less Luke Skywalker and more Darth Vader.