The Government of U.K. has reportedly announced its plans to roll out a “pro-innovation” AI strategy to promote technological development with minimum regulatory interference from the government.
The strategy would strengthen the country’s position as global superpower in the field of science and harvest the potential of cutting-edge technology to enhance people’s lives and also solve global challenges like public health emergencies and climate change.
The proposed strategy, which stands in stark contrast to the EU's own proposed AI laws, suggests that the U.K. is embracing the freedom that comes with not being tethered to Brussels and that it is eager to make sure that the freedom brings it economic benefits.
Chris Philp, the country’s digital minister, stated that unlike the EU’s stance about the risks associated with AI and product safety, the U.K.’s AI strategy promises to create a "pro-innovation" environment. Philp further added that the strategy was expected to make the country an appealing place for developing and deploying artificial intelligence technologies while keeping regulation ‘to a minimum’.
As part of the strategy, the U.K. would supposedly invest in AI technologies and assist other industries to incorporate artificial intelligence into their operations. However, the policy seemingly lacks sufficient regulatory framework for the tech that has already exhibited potential dangers, such as the examinations controversy last year, in which an algorithm lowered students' expected grade.
For the unversed, the country’s proposed revisions to the data protection laws aim to scrape the rule that forbids computerized decision-making without human supervision, claiming that it hinders innovation.
According to reliable sources, the government is set to announce its strategy to regulate AI early next year.
During an event in London, Philp reportedly mentioned that the government plans on keeping regulatory intervention to the bare minimum by retaining the existing structures rather than creating new ones. He further added that the government would keep a permissive mindset to make innovation simple and straightforward while preventing any public harm when there is clear proof that exists.
Timothy Clement-Jones, a former chair of the House of Lord’s artificial intelligence liaison committee, stated that heading in a direction diverging from the EU’s regulatory proposals on AI as well as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is also closely linked to AI, could pose a problem for AI developers to work in the EU.
Source credit: https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-charts-post-brexit-path-with-ai-strategy/