A cross-party group of MPs and peers has warned that the UK's approach to regulating artificial intelligence is fragmented and inadequate, leaving people harmed by AI systems with little recourse. The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said no single body oversees AI regulation, and called for new legislation and an independent regulator with real enforcement powers, arguing the current patchwork of laws leaves victims struggling to seek remedies.

Committee chair Alex Sobel MP said no country, including the UK, currently has a regulatory approach fit for purpose, and urged a statutory oversight body to set policy, monitor performance and enforce compliance. The report recommends a risk-based system with lighter rules for low-risk uses and tougher obligations for higher-risk AI, plus mandatory transparency across the AI lifecycle; it also noted that while Meta welcomed the government's light-touch stance, other witnesses branded it "uncritical and deregulatory" and "asleep at the wheel". Labour pledged in 2024 to legislate on powerful AI models but has yet to do so, in contrast to the EU's risk-based AI Act and the US, which has no overarching federal AI law and where the Trump administration has pushed to limit state-level rules.