MPs are expected to meet with tech experts next month amid growing concerns over the safety of artificial intelligence (AI). Leaders from Meta, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic have been called to appear before MPs over fears that the fast-developing AI technology poses major risks to public safety.
Urgent hearing scheduled for October 13
The House of Commons Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee has invited representatives from the companies to give evidence at an urgent hearing on October 13, 2026, as it concludes its inquiry into the UK’s economic strategy for AI.
It comes after a string of warnings from AI experts about the risks to humanity posed by AI have prompted calls for co-ordinated action to slow down the pace of its development.
Key issues under examination
In the hearings, MPs will examine whether firms should be legally required to submit their AI models to independent safety testing before releasing them, rather than deciding for themselves whether their systems are powerful enough to warrant scrutiny. The panel will also consider whether companies should accept mandatory reporting of serious safety incidents, including deceptive behaviour by AIs, and evidence of loss of human control.
The MPs will also explore what international requirements should be in place to prevent a “race to the bottom” in the industry, which is dominated by the US and China.
Trust at the core of the inquiry
In letters to the four companies – key players in the AI boom – the committee said trust had emerged as the core issue in its probe, both in AI security and safety and in ensuring workers and businesses would not lose out in an AI-powered economy. Chairman Liam Byrne wrote that “warnings of industry leaders and whistleblowers in recent weeks have demonstrated that the UK’s public policy framework and international agreements are not yet fit for the future”.
The companies have been asked to confirm by September 29 whether they will send representatives to the hearing and to provide written responses to the committee’s questions in advance.
Last week King Charles addressed bosses from some of the world’s leading AI developers – Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI – saying the new technology should be in the “service of humanity, community and the natural world”.
It all came after an essay was published by Anthropic boss Dario Amodei, and doomsday warnings have been levelled at AI, seen by some as a threat to the existence of humanity, sparking a debate among industry leaders over how best to rein in the technology before it could escape human control. Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger sparked headlines around the world when he said he believed there was a greater than 10 per cent chance AI could pose a species-ending risk within 10 years.
