AI regulation

Below are MRS responses to the UK Government on a range of issues relating to AI.

MRS response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee: Call for Evidence on Large Language Models (LLMs)

About our response: 

This response analyses the impact of current and future of Large Language Models (LLMs) from the perspective of the market, opinion and social research, data analytics and insight sector (the ‘research sector’).

• We expect that LLMs will gain greater popularity within the research sector alongside other Generative AI applications. The technology can bring productivity gains, particularly in areas such as automated reporting; theme summarisation; prediction; text data cleaning and analysing large data sets.
• As the technology is fast changing it is necessary to improve the understanding and confidence in the future trajectory of LLMs. To that end we encourage the UK Government to build up its capacity and understanding of LLMs, and to create an innovative and effective regulatory framework, one which responds to technological advancements in a timely and appropriate manner, and to fulfil this obligation in tandem with businesses and industry, in order to bring about the most effective and relevant outcomes.
• Given the rapid developments with generative AI and LLMs, it is necessary to adopt a flexible approach to regulation that can respond to new challenges as they arise. As such, it is important that the UK Government establish an industry-led sector-specific self-regulation.
• We also consider it imperative that business can navigate both the UK and non-UK rules for AI.  Fragmented and divergent legislative requirements remain one of the greatest barriers to innovation. For UK businesses to leverage the opportunities of AI will require understanding of all the regulatory requirements.  We recommend that as part of the UK Government’s pro-innovation approach, it provides information about alignments and differences with non-UK rules and provide routes and pathways to enable UK business to navigate these requirements to maximise the opportunities for UK businesses, particularly SMEs.  
• As with the AI White Paper Consultation, we believe it is essential that the UK Government develops an approach which mobilises secondary regulators, such as the MRS, in the development and deployment of applicable and relevant sector AI Codes and guidelines to implement the envisaged regulatory framework.
• We recommend the UK Government creates a mechanism for trade associations, professional bodies, and self-regulatory Code holders to provide business insight about the application of AI within specific sectors to the UK Government and the statutory regulators responsible for AI regulation. A similar approach has been adopted for the drafting of the Data Protection & Digital Information (No.2) Bill, and we suggest such an approach could work equally as well for AI.
• Furthermore, we recommend that the UK Government encourages the relevant statutory regulators, such as the ICO, to actively work with the professional bodies and trade associations to develop joint Codes and guidance to fill in the regulatory gaps and to help to raise sector awareness and understanding.
• We remain optimistic about the UK’s current strong positioning and its ability to take economic advantage of the opportunities provided by this technology whilst minimising risk. 

Download the MRS response to the Call for Evidence on Large Language Models (LLMs)

MRS response to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology ‘A pro - innovation approach to AI regulation’ Consultation.

Purpose of our response:

MRS welcomes the approach by the UK Government to develop a pro-innovation framework and bring clarity and coherence to the AI regulatory landscape. However, we believe it is essential that the UK Government develops an approach which mobilises secondary regulators, such as MRS, in the development and deployment of applicable and relevant sector AI Codes and
guidelines to implement the envisaged regulatory framework.

• MRS recommends the UK Government creates a mechanism for trade associations, professional bodies, and self-regulatory Code holders to provide business insight about the application of AI within specific sectors to the UK Government and the statutory regulators responsible for AI regulation. A similar approach has been adopted for the drafting of the Data Protection & Digital Information (No.2) Bill, and we suggest such an approach could work equally as well for AI.
• Furthermore, MRS recommends that the UK, Government encourages the relevant statutory regulators, such as the ICO, to actively work with the professional bodies and trade associations to develop joint Codes and guidance to fill in the regulatory gaps and to help to raise sector awareness and understanding.
• MRS also considers that it is important to ensure that business can navigate both the UK and non-UK rules for AI. As AI is borderless, the fact that the UK has a light regulatory approach will not mitigate the impact of other countries/regions that may adopt more stringent regimes. Fragmented and divergent legislative requirements remain one of the greatest barriers to innovation. For UK businesses to leverage fully the opportunities of AI will require an understanding of all the regulatory requirements.
• MRS recommends that as part of the UK Government's pro-innovation approach it provides information about alignments and differences with non-UK rules and provides routes and pathways to enable UK business to navigate these requirements to maximise the opportunities for UK businesses, particularly SMEs.

MRS invites the Government to consider our recommendations and to work together with MRS and industry to establish a business integrated solution to address regulation of AI.

Download the MRS Response AI Regulation White Paper Consultation.