Regulating AI in the UK: A Patchwork, a Plan, and What In-House Counsel Should Do About Both

Abstract

The United Kingdom does not have an AI law. It has no AI regulator. It has no single, binding set of rules governing how artificial intelligence is developed, deployed or used. What it does have is a position. That position, developed under two successive governments, is that AI should be regulated at the point of use, by existing sector-specific regulators, through existing legal frameworks. The Financial Conduct Authority regulates AI in financial services. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates AI in healthcare. Ofcom oversees AI in the context of online communications. The Information Commissioner’s Office addresses AI through the lens of data protection. And so on. No one body has overall responsibility.