The UK government has called for action on AI copyright, market competition

The UK government's response to a parliamentary report on artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted calls for closer intervention.

In February, a House of Lords report on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale language models highlighted the government's narrowing focus on the safety of advanced AI, a barrier to global competition.

In response to the report, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donnellan, explained that the government's AI oversight is in line with most of Parliament's recommendations.

However, on May 2, a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Stowell of Beston, asked the UK government to “depart from its current position” on how it handles copyright infringement and market competition in AI.

Stowell, chair of the House of Lords communications and digital committee, highlighted the need for improved copyright law.

“On copyright, the government has organized and convened a series of roundtables chaired by the Intellectual Property Office. The commitment to ministerial involvement is important but the next steps are not clear.

Stowell said she was disappointed by the government's lack of commitment to improved governance measures for AI standards and policy decisions. They also recommended policy discussions on market competition regulation:

“Market competition has been made a clear policy objective: we reiterate our view that internal and external criticism should be incorporated and structured into the design and evaluation process for new policies and standards.”

The UK government's recent response to Parliament shows a new acceptance of regulatory reforms for AI.

Related: Crypto companies among ‘biggest risks' for money laundering in 2022-2023: UK government

The UK's National Crime Agency and police were recently empowered to “seize, freeze and destroy” cryptocurrencies linked to criminal proceedings without formal arrest.

Home Secretary James Cleverley said criminals should not profit from illegal activities. The rationale behind the new police force has been tactfully cited by groups to raise crypto funds.

“These reforms will enhance our national security. Terrorist organizations like Daesh are known to raise funds through crypto transactions and these updated powers allow our agencies to easily seize their assets.

The new rules came into effect after the 2023 Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Criminal Code, which facilitated the rapid seizure of cryptocurrency.

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