The political context

AI has been in the spotlight for the UK government this year. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak published a Government White Paper in April 2023, promising “a pro-innovation approach” to artificial intelligence.

Responsibility for AI regulation has been devolved to existing regulators. Meanwhile, many public authorities have been in consultation mode over the technology.

On his appointment in June 2023, the new chair of the Foundation Model Taskforce Ian Hogarth said:

“The Prime Minister has laid out a bold vision for the UK to supercharge the field of AI safety, one that until now has been under-resourced even as AI capabilities have accelerated.”

Regulation is under-way. The question is, what form will it take?

About the survey

Our research, conducted by YouGov, explores:

• how optimistic or pessimistic MPs are towards AI, and their concerns around jobs, fairness and the speed of developments;

• how informed MPs feel about the implications of the technology for citizens and society, and existing regulators’ competence to govern AI;

• how MPs feel about a number of AI applications (e.g. disinformation, financial scores, online safety, etc.).

The research also outline some of the key differences in outlook between the main parties, but also areas of alignment.

Carried out by our research partner YouGov, this research is the first of its kind. The survey was conducted online between the 3rd and 31st May 2023, and captures responses from n=108 UK MPs representative of the make-up of the current House of Commons.

Photo credit: Mark Stuckey on Unsplash.