A cross-party group of UK lawmakers, including members from the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties, has warned that existing laws are not equipped to handle the fast-paced development of artificial intelligence (AI). The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) recently published a report calling for a new piece of legislation to address the potential human rights risks posed by AI. The committee’s chair, Labour MP Alex Sobel, emphasized that no country, including the UK, currently has a legal framework that is fully prepared for the challenges AI presents. Labour education minister Georgia Gould acknowledged the opportunities AI brings but stressed the need for the government to address the associated risks. In its 100-page report, the JCHR highlighted several human rights abuses linked to AI, including the creation of sexualized images of women and girls using AI, and the unauthorized scanning of people's faces. The committee argued that the current legal system is "fragmented and difficult to navigate," leaving gaps in protection. It proposed the establishment of a single, independent AI oversight body, operating under statutory authority, to manage these concerns more effectively. The report also called for stricter obligations for AI systems deemed high-risk, suggesting that certain AI uses should be outright banned if they conflict with human rights. These include subliminal techniques and the misuse of biometric data or profiling. The JCHR’s report comes as concerns over AI’s impact continue to grow. AI researcher Jacob Coxon, who recently left the company Anthropic, described colleagues as "genuinely frightened" about the future of humanity. Anthropic, however, stated that it is developing AI models with "some of the strongest safeguards in the industry." Labour’s 2024 election manifesto outlined plans to regulate the development of powerful AI models through binding rules. However, the government’s commitment to "appropriate legislation" in the King’s Speech in July 2024 did not include a specific AI bill. Labour’s Georgia Gould explained that the government has been taking regulatory action, including measures to combat non-consensual deepfakes and cybersecurity-related legislation. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office in July, has placed AI Minister Kanishka Narayan in cabinet meetings after restructuring the government’s science and technology departments. Meanwhile, Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, has proposed a plan for global AI regulation, including independent monitoring and slowing the pace of AI development. He has gained support from industry leaders such as Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk. Concerns over AI’s potential to reinforce biases or spread misinformation have also been raised, as AI systems trained on large internet datasets may inadvertently reflect harmful societal attitudes.