What happened
The UK government is considering stricter regulations for AI chatbots, with Technology secretary Liz Kendall raising concerns to MPs. Ofcom clarified that the Online Safety Act (OSA) now extends to AI-generated content, treating it similarly to user-generated content. This includes AI chatbots facilitating sharing of generated text, images, or videos, platforms for user-created chatbots, and AI tools for searching multiple websites. Services hosting AI tools capable of generating pornographic material also fall under OSA obligations, which impose duties on services to limit user harms.
Why it matters
This clarification introduces a new operational constraint for platform operators and compliance teams, extending existing Online Safety Act duties to a broader range of AI-driven services. The absence of a dedicated AI act, coupled with a principles-based approach, increases the oversight burden on existing regulators and raises due diligence requirements for platform operators regarding content moderation and user safety within AI-generated content. This expands the scope of content requiring active monitoring and risk assessment, particularly concerning harmful or illegal material.
