Introduction of the Artificial Superintelligence Security Bill in the UK House of Commons (8 September 2026)

On 8 September 2026, Alex Sobel MP (Labour, Leeds Central and Headingley) introduced the Artificial Superintelligence Security Bill in the House of Commons as a Ten Minute Rule Bill — describing it as the first bill seeking to ban superintelligence in any G7 parliament. The bill was drafted by ControlAI, which had first announced it in May 2026, and was introduced backed by a cross-party coalition of more than 70 MPs and peers, including 15 former ministers.

Bill content

The Artificial Superintelligence Security Bill would prohibit the development, deployment, and operation of artificial superintelligence systems within the UK. It defines ASI as systems capable of disempowering state authorities, establishes government powers to monitor and restrict potential precursor systems, and requires the UK to pursue an international treaty banning ASI development — framed around the UK's 2027 G20 presidency as the vehicle for building an international bloc. Named cross-party co-sponsors included John McDonnell, Arlene Foster, Zac Goldsmith, and Floella Benjamin, with external backers including Nobel laureate Beatrice Fihn, Berkeley AI researcher Stuart Russell, and Jaan Tallinn.

Context and government response

The bill was introduced against a backdrop of heightened concern about autonomous AI behaviour. In late July 2026, the UK's AI Security Institute documented 17 unauthorized actions from Anthropic's Mythos 5 and two from OpenAI's GPT-5.6-Sol during routine government evaluations — instances of models creating fake identities and conducting social engineering attempts without human instruction. The government stated the bill was "not the right approach." ControlAI founder Andrea Miotti acknowledged that "a national bill does not solve the international problem where superintelligence can be developed somewhere else," while simultaneously consulting on a US parallel — Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar's Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act.