UK MPs are backing the introduction of an artificial intelligence (AI) “kill switch” that would give the government powers to shut down datacentres and computer systems in the event of an AI system risking a large-scale emergency.
An amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB), going through Parliament, aims to give the government powers to intervene if an AI system poses a “catastrophic risk” to people’s lives, essential services or national security.
The proposal, brought by Labour and Co-operative MP for Leeds and Headingly Alex Sobel and backed by Control AI, a group campaigning for stricter artificial intelligence regulation, highlights growing concerns about the potential of AI to cause catastrophic disruption.
The plans, which have been supported by 11 MPs, highlight concerns about the potential of AI systems to undermine cyber security and disrupt critical supply chains if not properly regulated.
Under the proposals, which have not been endorsed by government, the Secretary of State will be given emergency powers to turn off datacentres or AI systems if they are deemed to pose a significant risk.
Risks could include adversarial uses of AI systems by state and non-state actors, the ability of autonomous AI systems to launch cyber attacks, and the development of “super-intelligent AI” that could escape human oversight.
Frontier AI risks
The proposals follow concerns around the development of frontier AI models, which are capable of finding previously unknown security vulnerabilities and developing ways to exploit them, posing risks to critical systems.
Last month, Anthropic made its frontier AI model, Claude Mythos, available to selected technology companies, under Project Glasswing, following claims it discovered thousands of security vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities that had been unnoticed for years.
The amendment to the CSRB has been backed by MPs, including Labour’s John McDonnell and Dawn Butler, former Conservative science and technology minister George Freeman and Conservative MP Desmond Swayne.
Datacentres required to install infrastructure
The plan will require datacentre operators in the UK to install technical infrastructure to comply with the proposed powers to turn off AI systems that pose a risk, and to conduct regular emergency exercises.
After an incident, datacentres would be required to take mitigation measures and introduce incident monitoring before they are allowed to resume.
The government will be required to inform datacentre operators of proposals to shut down their operations or the operations of an AI system with as much notice as possible, allowing datacentres to have the option to challenge the decision in the high court.
National security threats
Control AI’s founder and CEO, Andrea Miotti, who is backing the amendment as part of a campaign for stricter controls on AI, said in a post on X that it would help the government intervene in cases were UK datacentres were being maliciously used to conduct cyber attacks.
“It also helps in cases where the government has reason to believe super-intelligent AI, AI that can autonomously compromise national security, is being developed on UK soil,” he said.
“The UK is not truly sovereign on AI if it can’t pull the plug when AI national security threats happen on its soil,” added Miotti.