UK AI minister says he is anxious about the future
Key Points
- Minister for Artificial Intelligence Kanishka Narayan says that people are naturally anxious about their jobs and what AI means for their future.
- He was speaking at Imperial College in London on Monday (12 October).
- He promised that working people will never bear the cost of this change.
- Part of the reason of the anxiety is that the British public has heard extraordinary predictions from both companies and employees at the forefront of this technology, he said.
Minister for Artificial Intelligence Kanishka Narayan says that people are naturally anxious about their jobs and what AI means for their children’s future.
Speaking at Imperial College in London on Monday (12 October), Narayan said that he too feels this anxiety.
“I won’t promise that we can stop change. But the Government will make a central promise to the British public: that we will never leave working people to bear the cost of this change. I will work with my colleagues every hour of every day to secure our kids’ and their kids’ future, their opportunity,” Narayan said.
Part of the reason of the anxiety is that the British public has heard extraordinary predictions from both companies and employees at the forefront of this technology, he said.
“The public is right to expect that in the face of these, the government ought to take warnings extremely seriously. And we do. The responsibility then begins with protecting people from new social harms.
“I was proud to be the minister who banned the appalling use of AI to create intimate images of women and girls without their consent.I was proud, alongside the Secretary of State, to stand up to the richest man in the world and have our British position upheld in practice.
“And I was proud to be the minister to put our children’s future above companies’ profits: announcing a social media ban for under 16s. Wherever new harms emerge, we have acted decisively and we will continue to act decisively,” he said.
However, Narayan said that it was ultimately humans who would remain in control of the machines. He added that it was the responsibility of businesses and governments to build machines that serve us – not the other way round.
“Machines that help scientists discover new medicines, machines that give care workers more time with the people who depend on them, machines that help British businesses become more productive. Above all, machines that leave us, human beings, in charge.
“But if that is our defining belief, we must be prepared to put it into swift action. And we must do so now, meeting this critical moment. The British public is right to expect that this government ought to take the risks of AI seriously. Our first responsibility is to keep our country safe.”
