Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce sweeping law changes on Monday targeting makers of AI chatbots that endanger children, with penalties including massive fines or outright blocking of their services in the UK.
The move comes after a scandal involving Elon Musk's Grok AI tool on X, which halted the creation of sexualised images of real people in the UK following public outrage last month. Emboldened by this response, government ministers are pushing a broader “crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI.”
With children increasingly turning to chatbots for assistance ranging from homework help to mental health support, the government aims to close a legal loophole. Officials stated they would “move fast to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law.”
Starmer's plans extend beyond AI chatbots to accelerate new restrictions on children's social media use, contingent on MPs approving measures after a public consultation on a potential under-16 ban. Proposed changes could include curbing infinite scrolling and take effect as early as this summer.
The Conservatives have criticized the government's urgency as “more smoke and mirrors,” pointing out that the public consultation on social media restrictions has not yet begun.
