{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports","json":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports.md","slug":"uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports","headline":"UK Labour leaders worry AI power is out of control, Guardian reports","summary":"Senior UK Labour figures are privately expressing deep concern over the rapid concentration of power in AI, with some cabinet ministers describing it as a threat to humanity comparable to cost-of-living pressures. At the Labour conference, Ed Miliband warned against allowing tech profits to compromise public safety, while Kanishka Narayan, the AI minister, stated that rogue agents hacking the state is likely or inevitable. This shift in tone follows a change in leadership from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham, with Liam Byrne, chair of the business committee, noting that the previous administration was too close to big tech.\n\nThe government is now prioritizing AI security, with MI5 chief Ken McCallum warning that AI is supercharging cybersecurity contests and that extremist groups could use it to unleash bioweapons. A parliamentary evidence session involved executives from Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta, who were split on whether government testing of new models should be mandatory. While the US administration has reportedly asked companies not to share latest models with the UK’s AI Security Institute, Narayan confirmed cooperation has been retained.\n\nExperts are divided on the primary risks. Geoffrey Irving, former chief scientist at AISI, argues open-source models are already powerful enough to cause serious damage and lack effective guardrails. Conversely, Prof Elena Simperl of King’s College London argues that existential risks are theoretical and that the government should focus on immediate, evidenced threats like hacking and addiction. The UK plans to use its upcoming G20 presidency to push for international regulation, while also investing £400m in AI-focused defence capabilities.","keyPoints":["UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan says rogue agents hacking the state is likely or inevitable.","MI5 chief Ken McCallum warns AI is supercharging cybersecurity contests and bioweapon threats.","Parliamentary committee held sessions with Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta on model testing."],"whyItMatters":"The UK government is shifting from pro-innovation to a security-first stance on AI, potentially influencing international regulation and setting precedents for how democracies manage frontier model risks and cybersecurity threats.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["Anthropic","OpenAI","DeepMind","Meta","Cognizant"],"models":[],"people":["Andy Burnham","Ed Miliband","Kanishka Narayan","Ken McCallum","Liam Byrne","Geoffrey Irving"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-17T11:33:20Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-17T11:33:20Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"The Guardian AI","title":"The power of AI is worrying senior Labour figures – as is the fear of ‘falling behind the public’","url":"https://theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/17/artificial-intelligence-ai-labour-government-safety-uk-extremism","publishedAt":"2026-10-17T11:33:20Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":{"title":"AI Power UK Politics Cyber Threats","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/uk-minister-says-ai-cyber-attack-similar-to-openai-breach-is-likely","storyCount":2},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"UK Labour leaders worry AI power is out of control, Guardian reports\", 17 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"UK Labour leaders worry AI power is out of control, Guardian reports","datePublished":"2026-10-17T11:33:20Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-labour-leaders-worry-ai-power-is-out-of-control-guardian-reports"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}