Member

Given the importance of data centres, and the speed of development of AI systems, should the Secretary of State not hold last-resort powers to hit the kill switch—the big red button—to direct a shutdown of data centres or AI systems deployed at significant scale, in the event of an AI security or operational emergency? Such powers would be strictly reserved for catastrophic risk scenarios, which are defined in line with the national risk register’s high impact threshold. It is a significant decision to shut down a data centre, and such a decision must come from someone who puts national security and the public interest at the core of their decision: the Secretary of State.