Technology and Science14 September, 20263 min read
UK Joint Committee on Human Rights Urges New AI Bill With Independent Oversight Body
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JCHR calls for new AI bill to address risks and AI lifecycle complexity. Proposes a single independent AI oversight body on a statutory basis.
7 outlets told this the same way.
New AI bill urged
A cross-party group of MPs and peers on the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) published a report calling for a new AI bill to address the threats AI poses to human rights, saying the existing regulatory and legal framework is inadequate. The committee urged the UK government to establish a single, independent AI oversight body on a statutory basis, with strong powers to hold AI providers to account, including setting codes of practice, transparency requirements, and the power to impose sanctions. JCHR chair Alex Sobel said, "AI is heralded as an unprecedented era of technological development with the potential to transform our lives for better or for worse," adding that its speed and complexity make its impact hard to predict.
The report said regulators currently have no powers to test and evaluate AI systems before they are released, or to prevent their release if they are considered to pose unacceptable risks, because model developers engage with the AI Security Institute on a voluntary basis. It also argued the current legal framework relies on harm-specific and sector-specific legislation, failing to address preventable human rights risks across the AI lifecycle and supply chain.
Regulator, transparency, redress
The JCHR report said existing UK laws target system users rather than developers, preventing regulatory oversight prior to public rollout, and it recommended a single independent AI regulator with strong powers to enforce compliance and mandate transparency across the technology lifecycle. Labour education minister Georgia Gould told the BBC that the government must be "responding to those risks" posed by the technology, while the committee argued the current framework is "fragmented and difficult to navigate," leaving gaps in protection. The committee called for more demanding obligations for higher risk AI systems and models at all stages of the AI lifecycle, and it said some uses should be prohibited outright because they are incompatible with human rights.
In the BBC’s account of the report, it cited potential areas for action including subliminal techniques and inappropriate use of profiling or biometric data, and it described examples such as scanning people’s faces without their consent. The BBC also reported that Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher who quit Anthropic, told the broadcaster this weekend that staff developing the systems were "genuinely frightened" for the future of humanity.
Calls after developer warnings
The committee’s call for a new AI bill came amid warnings from AI developers about the pace of development, with Dario Amodei of Anthropic urging a "slower pace" as safety measures lag behind, and with Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk also expressing similar concerns. In the JCHR’s framing, the report said existing laws do not take due account of the complexity of the AI lifecycle and supply chain and are not directed to the actor best placed to identify and avert the source of risks, making human rights harm more likely. The Law Society Gazette said the committee concluded the government should introduce a new AI bill, as promised in the 2024 King’s speech, "to place AI regulation on a sound basis" along the lines of the Council of Europe’s non-binding framework convention.
The BBC reported that the government used the King’s Speech in July 2024 to commit to bringing forward "appropriate legislation" but no dedicated AI bill appeared in this year’s King’s Speech. The report also highlighted concerns about AI in court proceedings, noting that implementing AI systems into court proceedings could infringe on the right to a fair trial under article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.