UK Government Still Undecided on AI Safeguards in Its Cyber Security Bill

UK officials have stopped short of committing to AI-specific measures in the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, even though ministers have promised to legislate wherever necessary. Senior civil servants told MPs this week that amendments addressing AI risks remain under consideration.

Alexandra Jones, a director general at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, said the government is looking at using the bill to improve preparedness for AI, cyber and loss of control risks. This could include how serious incidents and near misses are identified and reported, and how AI-driven disruption across organisations is contained. Committee chair Liam Byrne pushed back, saying: "You can't consider something in a bill. You have to legislate for something in a bill." Jones said the government was still developing policy on whether to use the bill for this purpose.

The uncertainty comes amid warnings about autonomous AI threats, including Anthropic's forecast that small models could be months away from operating as self-replicating worms on vulnerable smart devices. AI minister Kanishka Narayan said this week the government would "use every power at our disposal" and "legislate wherever necessary", while also relying on scientific expertise and institutions. For now, it is not clear what specific AI safeguards, if any, will make it into the bill.