Tech Round-Up: November 2023

Welcome to our Tech round-up, where we provide a snapshot of the latest legal-tech-related news.

Our round-up covers topics such as the AI Safety Summit, Self-Driving Vehicles, the Autumn Statement and much more.

 AI Safety Summit

• The UK held the first global AI Safety Summit at the beginning of November to consider the risks of AI and how such risks can be mitigated through a joint global effort. The major talking points to come out of the 2-day summit were:
• 28 countries (including heavyweights such as the US, China and the EU) signed the Bletchley Declaration – establishing a joint global understanding of the opportunities and risks posed by AI development and the need to collectively manage such risks and ensure AI is developed and deployed in a safe and responsible manner;
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the new AI Safety Summit, which shall be tasked with testing the safety of new and emerging AI and assessing the potentially harmful capabilities; and 
• The UK announced a major investment (£225 million) into a new super-computer called Isambard-AI, which is intended to achieve breakthroughs across healthcare, energy, climate modelling and other fields. It forms part of the UK's initiative to lead in AI while partnering with allies like the US. 

• On 23 November 2023, Conservative peer, Lord Holmes, introduced a Private Members' Bill (PMB) to the House of Lords to make provision for the regulation of artificial intelligence. The main purpose of the PMB is the establishment of a central AI Authority to oversee the regulatory approach to AI. If enacted, the AI Authority would:
• Undertake various co-ordination and monitoring functions, including conducting an AI gap analysis of current legislation and collaboration on regulatory sandbox development;
• Have regard to the principles set out in the AI regulatory white paper, promote transparency, freedom from bias, and ensure the regulatory burden is proportionate to the risk of an AI system; and 
• Recommend that AI developers appoint an AI officer and promote obligations around labelling and intellectual property, including requiring a record of training data to be provided to the AI Authority.

On 22 November 2023, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made several announcements affecting the Technology, Media and Telecoms sectors, including in relation to supporting the growth of SMEs through the use of advanced digital technologies, the government's investment into developing AI and quantum computing, and the launching of an AI Safety Institute and a pilot AI regulatory sandbox.

Hunt also announced that the government had published a call for evidence on recent trends in the visual effects industry, informing the design of additional tax relief for expenditure on visual effects, which the government intends to deliver through the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit.