UK government rejects AI 'kill switch' amendment to Cyber Security Bill

September 14, 2026 at 03:19 PM3 min

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The UK government rejected a proposed legal 'kill switch' that would have allowed ministers to shut down AI systems during emergencies. The Cabinet Office said on Friday that blocking access to AI models in the UK would not necessarily stop their development or misuse elsewhere. The decision comes as tech leaders, including Anthropic's Evan Hubinger and CEO Dario Amodei, warn of catastrophic AI risks.

Key Facts

The Cabinet Office rejected the amendment on Friday, arguing that AI risks require proportionate and targeted measures rather than a blanket shutdown power.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Clement-Jones proposed the amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to give ministers a statutory mechanism to intervene if an autonomous AI model malfunctioned or posed immediate danger.
Anthropic alignment science lead Evan Hubinger said he believes AI could kill all humans within the next decade, placing the probability at more than 10%.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that an AI swarm could become capable of taking control of large parts of the internet within a year, with support from SpaceX chief Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
PM Andy Burnham has elevated AI safety minister Kanishka Narayan's role by bringing him into the Cabinet.

Government Rejection

The Cabinet Office said on Friday that blocking access to AI models in the UK would not necessarily stop them from being developed or misused elsewhere. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Clement-Jones had proposed an amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill that would give the government a statutory mechanism to intervene if an autonomous AI model malfunctioned or posed an immediate danger. He argued that the measure would provide a 'necessary emergency kill switch' where ministers currently lacked clear legal authority to order a shutdown. The government rejected the proposal, saying AI risks needed to be addressed through proportionate and targeted measures rather than a blanket power to switch off systems. It added that ministers would continue taking a 'long-term, science-led approach' to understanding emerging AI threats, including through the UK's AI Security Institute.

AI Safety Warnings

Last week, Evan Hubinger, an alignment science lead at Anthropic, said he believed AI could potentially kill humanity within the next decade. Hubinger wrote on X that he personally placed the probability at more than 10% within the next 10 years, adding that AI developers had not yet established a reliable solution to ensuring highly capable systems remain aligned with human interests. His comments followed the resignation of fellow Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who warned that the race among technology companies to develop self-improving AI systems amounted to 'gambling with our lives'. Coxon accused Anthropic and OpenAI of failing to act responsibly and said people outside the AI industry were underestimating the technology's capabilities. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has argued for greater restraint, warning that an AI swarm could potentially become capable of taking control of large parts of the internet within a year. SpaceX chief Elon Musk backed the warning, saying 'Dario is right,' and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also said he agreed that the development of frontier AI needed to be paced.

UK Safeguards

The government has sought to demonstrate that it is taking the risks seriously despite rejecting a statutory shutdown mechanism. PM Andy Burnham has elevated AI safety minister Kanishka Narayan's role by bringing him into the Cabinet.