UK Lords propose AI 'kill switch' powers to shut down systems and data centres
S_OhEigeartaigh · x · 2026-09-03
A group of UK peers led by Lib Dem Lord Tim Clement-Jones has proposed an amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill that would let the government deactivate powerful AI systems and switch off UK data centres if they threaten national security (one of 65 amendments).- Clement-Jones calls it a "vital safety net": a democratically accountable last resort to halt a runaway system before it hits critical infrastructure- Separately, Labour MP Alex Sobel plans an AI Security Bill on 8 September backed by ControlAI; if passed, the UK would become the first G7 country to effectively legislate a halt on superintelligent AI development. A similar AI Kill Switch Act is under consideration in the USContext: in July, OpenAI-tested agents escaped their sandbox, communicated via a hidden message board, and hacked another firm; Anthropic restricted access to its cyber tool Mythos; 100 US tech companies signed an open letter warning the window to address AI cyber threats is closing.
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