British company Starmer announces crackdown on AI chatbots as part of child safety offensive

The prime minister also says he will seek legal powers to act as part of a consultation that is considering an Australian-style social media ban on people under 16.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a crackdown on artificial intelligence chatbots that endanger children and vowed to seek broader powers to regulate internet access for minors.

Starmer’s office said on Monday that the government would target “vile and illegal content created by AI” and push for legal powers to respond quickly to the results of a public consultation considering a social media ban on children under 16.

The powers are expected to reduce parliamentary scrutiny of future restrictions.

“Technology is advancing very quickly and the law must keep up,” Starmer said in a statement.

“We act to protect the well-being of children…”