The UK government has rejected the idea of a simple “kill switch” as a way to deal with dangerous artificial intelligence, with the Cabinet Office saying the country “cannot simply turn AI off”.
The Cabinet Office, which leads the government’s work on AI safety, set out the position in response to the suggestion that harmful or unsafe AI systems could be managed through a mechanism to shut them down.
Its statement indicates that ministers do not regard a straightforward switch-off approach as a workable answer to the risks posed by advanced AI. The department’s wording suggests the government sees AI safety as a more complex issue than simply disabling systems once concerns arise.
No further details were provided in the supplied material about the specific proposal, who advanced it, or what alternative measures the government intends to rely on.
The latest known position is that the Cabinet Office has ruled out the notion that dangerous AI can be addressed by simply turning the technology off, while continuing to hold responsibility for the UK government’s AI safety work.
