Back in May 2025, I published a post titled “What We Learned from Briefing 70+ Lawmakers on the Threat from AI”. I was taken aback by the positive reception that this post had, and have appreciated the kind feedback through online forums and in-person conversations. I’ve doubled the number of...
Between late 2024 and mid-May 2025, I briefed over 70 cross-party UK parliamentarians. Just over one-third were MPs, a similar share were members of the House of Lords, and just under one-third came from devolved legislatures — the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. I also held...
Back in May 2025, I published a post titled “What We Learned from Briefing 70+ Lawmakers on the Threat from AI”. I was taken aback by the positive reception that this post had, and have appreciated the kind feedback through online forums and in-person conversations.
I’ve doubled the number of meetings since writing that post and I’ve been wanting to expand on it for a while. I wouldn’t say I’ve learned twice as much! But I have learned some other things, so here’s an update I hope you’ll find helpful.
If you haven’t read my previous post from May 2025, I would recommend starting there: it contains what I consider the core insights, whereas... (read 4087 more words →)
That was really kind, thank you very much!
Thank you for your kind words! Of course you can use this essay.
China does come up in our conversations. I didn’t mention it here because the aim of this post is to reflect on what we’ve learned across more than 70 meetings, rather than to present a scripted pitch - no two conversations have been the same! So it doesn’t cover every single question that may arise.
You’re right to point out that this is an important one. It’s too big to capture fully in a format like this, but here’s my view in a nutshell: Broadly speaking, I believe that racing ahead to develop a technology we fundamentally do not understand - one that poses risks not only through misuse but by its very nature - is neither a desirable nor inevitable path. There’s a lot at stake, and we're working to find a different approach: one in which we develop the technology with safeguards, while ensuring we deepen our understanding and maintain control over it.
Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful questions; I really appreciate it.
Between late 2024 and mid-May 2025, I briefed over 70 cross-party UK parliamentarians. Just over one-third were MPs, a similar share were members of the House of Lords, and just under one-third came from devolved legislatures — the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. I also held eight additional meetings attended exclusively by parliamentary staffers. While I delivered some briefings alone, most were led by two members of our team.
I did this as part of my work as a Policy Advisor with ControlAI, where we aim to build common knowledge of AI risks through clear, honest, and direct engagement with parliamentarians about both the challenges and potential solutions. To... (read 4512 more words →)