The UK’s antimonopoly watchdog has unveiled the principles of artificial intelligence regulation and announced the launch of a project aimed at strengthening control over advanced technology, the development of which is carried out at a very rapid pace.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Monday, September 18, reported that machine intelligence can have a rapid impact on markets and consumers. The regulator stated that this conclusion was made based on the results of a comprehensive preliminary analysis of the new generation technology and the consequences of its spread in the space of human life. The watchdog has unveiled seven principles for regulating artificial intelligence systems that have been trained on the basis of vast amounts of information. The regulator clarified that in this case, machine intelligence configurations adapted to solve various tasks are meant.

The CMA also announced the launch of a large-scale program to develop its position in the area of AI. As part of this plan, the regulator intends to establish cooperation with companies that are at the forefront of developments in the artificial intelligence industry. In this case, it means such giants of the advanced technology sector as Alphabet, Meta Platforms, OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Anthropic. The regulator also intends to get the opinion of consumer groups and civil society, government experts, and authorities on the development and dissemination of artificial intelligence.

The principles of AI regulation developed by the British watchdog provide for the requirement of accountability on the part of those who create and implement machine intelligence systems. Also, in this set of measures to control advanced technology, there is a norm of constant access to key input data and the absence of any restrictions related to the possibility of obtaining this information.

Another principle is the sustainable diversity of business models. This requirement goes beyond the traditional content of the concept of regulation and concerns to a greater extent how the British watchdog sees the most acceptable state of the artificial intelligence market. The principle of sufficient choice for business is also provided. This norm is not detailed, but it can be assumed that it assumes a mandatory set of scenarios for the use of artificial intelligence systems in the commercial context of application.

Also, the British regulator has provided for the principle of flexibility when switching between AI foundation models. Another norm is
transparency regarding risks and restrictions. In addition, the regulator has implemented the requirement of not anti-competitively using bundling or self-preferring.

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive Officer of the CMA, says that there is currently a real risk that the process of using machine intelligence will be carried out under such a scenario that will undermine consumer confidence or create a situation of dominance of several AI industry players, which will limit the possibilities of realizing the benefits of a new generation of technology in the economy.

The UK government conceptually perceives artificial intelligence as a priority area of activity. The United Kingdom strives to be at the forefront of the development of advanced technology. In the spring of this year, the local government appealed to regulators with a request to assess the state of affairs in IT and prospects. At the beginning of November, at the initiative of the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a global summit on artificial intelligence will be held in the country.

As we have reported earlier, China Publishes Final Version of Rules for Use of Generative AI.