The UK government has set out a range of proposals to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The proposed rules have committed to establishing clear, innovation-friendly and flexible approaches to regulating AI to unleash growth and innovation, boost business confidence, promote investment, boost public trust and drive productivity across the economy.

“Across the world, AI is unlocking enormous opportunities, and the UK is at the forefront of these developments,” said Nadine Dorries, secretary of state for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. “I want the UK to be the best place in the world to found and grow an AI business and to strengthen the UK’s position so we translate AI’s tremendous potential into growth and societal benefits across the UK.”

The pro-innovation framework for regulating AI, outlined in the policy paper, is underpinned by a set of cross-sectoral principals tailored to the specific characteristics of AI. These regulations will be: context specific, pro-innovation and risk-based, coherent and tailored to the characteristics of AI, proportionate and adaptable with lighter-touch options, such as guidance or voluntary measures.

“A regulatory framework that is proportionate, light-touch and forward-looking is essential to keep pace with the speed of developments in these technologies,” said Dorries. “Such an approach will drive innovation by offering businesses the clarity and confidence they need to grow while making sure we boost public trust.”

The proposals will be carried out as part of a ten-year plan, and are intended to cement the UK as a globally leading AI superpower, with the country already dominant in the sector evidenced by its history of innovation. The paper asserts, however, that more can be done to use the significant “economic and societal benefits of AI” while concurrently addressing the “complex challenges it presents”.

The paper continued by highlighting that while the UK has a distinguished and effective regulatory system – highly regarded in its “rule of law and support for innovation” – there’s a need to keep up with the ever-evolving challenges and opportunities that AI presents, which is paramount in remaining globally competitive.

“On a global scale, we have barely scratched the surface when it comes to artificial intelligence and its potential use cases,” said industry expert Sridhar Iyengar, managing director of AI and ML tools provider Zoho in Europe. “Early predictions indicate that AI and machine learning could soon lead to widespread development of autonomous transportation, manufacturing, and even education and healthcare roles. From a business perspective, the technology is already making huge strides in revolutionising customer service, data analysis and business intelligence tools. While it is important that all new advancements in technology are regulated, it is positive to see that the UK is maintaining innovation and flexibility as an absolute priority to harness the potential economic and societal benefits of AI.”

He said that many blockbuster science-fiction movies suggested that AI should be treated with caution, however the reality of the future of the technology was not so damning.

“It is extremely likely that the UK could cement itself as a world-leader in the technology if it continues investment and development in the area,” he said. “This could create a more technologically advanced society, creating new jobs, replacing those that AI displaces, and will lead to more convenience in day-to-day life.”

However, he said the only area where AI did need to be regulated more thoroughly was in how and whether it was being deployed ethically.

“Private, and even public sector, organisations could easily use the technology for illicit activity such as surveillance or profiling, as has already been seen in the past,” he said. “It is important that while innovation in AI is encouraged, so too is the transparency around how it is being deployed. Even without being forced to by law, organisations should take an ethics-led approach to any deployment and regularly review to refine as needed.”