UK government rejects 'kill switch' idea for dangerous AI - BBC News

The UK government has rejected a proposal to create a 'kill switch' that could shut off a dangerous AI model in an emergency, according to a BBC News report. The Cabinet Office said the UK 'cannot simply turn AI off,' the article states. The proposal was brought to Parliament by lords and MPs. The report says the rejection comes as fears grow about rogue AI.

The excerpt does not name the lords or MPs who brought the proposal forward, nor the specific AI model, developer or emergency scenario that prompted it. It does not state whether the proposal took the form of an amendment, a debate motion, a written question or a bill. The Cabinet Office response is quoted in a single phrase: that the UK 'cannot simply turn AI off.' The report characterises the outcome as a rejection of the proposal rather than a deferral or a commitment to revisit it at a later date.

The report places the exchange in the context of growing concern about rogue AI. It does not indicate whether the government proposed alternative oversight measures, whether the rejection was accompanied by any commitment to revisit the question, or what legal mechanism a kill switch would have required. The article does not state when the proposal was put to Parliament or when the Cabinet Office responded. No minister is identified by name, and the report does not say whether the government's position was set out in writing or in a statement.