UK's 'deregulatory' AI approach won't protect human rights | Computer Weekly

"Speaking during the inquiry's second evidence session on 29 October 2025, expert witnesses told Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights that, as it stands, the UK's "uncritical and deregulatory" approach to AI will fail to deal with the clear human rights harms presented by the technology. This includes harms related to surveillance and automated decision-making, which can variously impact both collective and individual rights to privacy, non-discrimination, and freedom of assembly; especially given the speed and scale at which the technology operates."

""AI is regulated in the UK, but only incidentally and not well ... we're looking at a system that has big gaps in [regulatory] coverage," said Michael Birtwistle, the Ada Lovelace Institute's associate director of law and policy. "We don't have regulators in many high-impact contexts that AI is being used in - employment, recruitment, large chunks of the public sector like benefits and tax administration," he said."

""Our education regulators don't explicitly have scope around tech use in schools, for example." Birtwistle added that while the AI opportunities action plan published by the government in January 2025 outlines "significant ambitions to grow AI adoption", it contains little on what actions can be taken to mitigate AI risks, "and no mention of human rights"."

A Parliamentary inquiry launched in July 2025 examines protections for human rights amid growing AI use, focusing on privacy, data usage, discrimination, and remedies for AI-caused violations. Expert witnesses warned that the UK's largely deregulatory stance will fail to manage scalable human rights harms. Identified harms include surveillance and automated decision-making that affect collective and individual rights to privacy, non-discrimination, and freedom of assembly, amplified by AI's speed and scale. Regulatory gaps exist in employment, recruitment, benefits, tax administration, and education. The government's January 2025 AI opportunities action plan prioritizes adoption growth but offers little on risk mitigation and omits human rights.

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