UK government rejects 'kill switch' idea for dangerous AI

The UK government has rejected the idea of creating a so-called "kill switch" to stop a dangerous attack from rogue AI.

The proposal to create a legal mechanism for the UK to switch off an AI model in an emergency has been brought to Parliament by lords and MPs in recent weeks as fears grow about the threat the tech poses.

But the Cabinet Office - the part of government which leads on AI safety - said the UK "cannot simply turn AI off".

"Blocking access to models in the UK would not prevent them being developed or misused elsewhere", a spokesperson told BBC News.

The government's opposition to the legislation does not prevent it from progressing through parliament, but makes it unlikely it will become law.

Former OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajilo agreed the idea of a single country creating a legal or technical kill switch without international agreement was not feasible.

"Switching off access to an AI model in an emergency will do little to protect you," he said.

"You're still going to be steamrolled by the super intelligences created in the US."