UK Government Targets AI Chatbot Risks

The UK government has today announced a major update to its digital safety rules, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharing plans to close a loophole in the Online Safety Act, Financial Times is reporting.

This move, that follows growing concerns about how young people use artificial intelligence, will bring AI chatbots directly under the same strict laws that govern social media platforms.

Currently, some chatbots that only allow one-on-one conversations are not fully covered by the law. This is because the original rules were written to target “user-to-user” services like Facebook or Instagram, where people share content with each other.

The government wants to ensure that no technology company gets a “free pass.” Prime Minister Starmer explained that technology is moving much faster than the law. By updating the rules, the UK aims to be a leader in online safety.

The focus is on protecting children from seeing harmful or illegal content. There have been reports of AI tools being used to create inappropriate images or encouraging young users to form unhealthy relationships with virtual characters. In some tragic cases, interactions with chatbots have been linked to self-harm.

Under the new rules, chatbot providers will have to follow specific safety duties. These include:

• Detecting Illegal Content: Companies must build safeguards into their AI models to block illegal material before a user even sees it.
• Age Checks: Platforms will likely need to use better ways to verify how old a user is.
• Monitoring Outputs: Instead of just setting a bot live, companies must keep a close eye on what the AI is actually saying to people.
• Quick Response: If a problem is found, the company must act fast to fix it or face heavy fines.

The government is also looking at other ways to keep kids safe online. They are considering a minimum age limit for social media and may even limit features like “infinite scroll” that keep kids glued to their screens for too long.