The British Public Wants Tougher AI Rules
Exclusive: Poll shows 87% of Brits want to prevent new AI model releases until developers can prove they are safe
The vast majority of the British public distrusts the CEOs of technology companies and would support significantly tougher regulations on the most powerful versions of AI technology, according to new polling shared exclusively with TIME.
The opinion poll shows that 87% of Brits would support a law requiring AI developers to prove their systems are safe before release, and 60% would support outlawing the development of “smarter-than-human” AI. Just 9% said they trust tech CEOs to act in the public interest when discussing AI regulation.
The polling was commissioned by the non-profit Control AI, and carried out by YouGov on a representative sample of 2,344 British adults.
The results reflect growing public anxieties about the potential development of AI that could perform at human level or beyond on most tasks. Such technology does not yet exist, however most of the major AI companies including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Meta have all said that this is their goal. Several of their CEOs have said they believe it to be possible in a matter of months or years.
Meanwhile, three quarters (75%) of the Britons polled said that laws should prohibit the development of AI that can escape its environment. A majority (63%) agreed with prohibiting the creation of AI systems that can make themselves smarter or more powerful.
The findings of the poll broadly mirror the results of recent U.S. surveys, and point to a growing gap between public opinion and government action when it comes to advanced AI.
Ahead of the last election, in 2024, the Labour Party promised to impose “binding regulation” on the companies developing powerful AI systems if it won. But since coming to power, the government has repeatedly delayed the introduction of an AI bill, at the same time as it grapples with the question of how to restore growth to its struggling economy. In January, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that AI would be “mainlined into the veins” of the nation to boost growth — a clear shift away from talk of regulation.
“It seems like they’re sidelining their promises at the moment, for the shiny attraction of growth,” says Andrea Miotti, the executive director of Control AI. “But the thing is, the British public is very clear about what they want. They want these promises to be met.”
Read the full story in TIME:
Paris-bound
The poll comes on the eve of the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris, where government leaders and tech CEOs will gather to discuss where the technology is taking our world. I’ll be reporting from Paris this weekend and early next week. I’ll also be speaking on two panels:
At the AI & Society House, on Sunday at 4pm, on the role of journalists in evaluating AI's societal impact.
At the AI Safety Debate with Professor Yoshua Bengio, on Sunday at 8pm, on the risks from AI and what can be done about them.
If you’re going to be there, come and say hi! My Signal username is billyperrigo.01.