LONDON — A formal campaign to force the British government to recognize artificial general intelligence as a threat to national and global security is gaining momentum in Westminster, backed by more than 125 lawmakers and a prominent historian. The push highlights a growing anxiety over digital sovereignty and the unchecked power of private firms racing to develop systems they themselves describe as an existential risk.

Dependence on Foreign Models

Luciana Berger, a member of the House of Lords and lead figure with the group ControlAI, expressed blunt concern over the United Kingdom’s technological dependency. "On a domestic level, we are being left behind when it comes to AI development," Berger stated. "As a country, the U.K. is completely reliant on American and Chinese AI models. We are a country renowned for our research and development, this needs to be right at the top of our agenda in order to maintain even a tiny stake in AI development."

The campaign frames the lack of domestic capability not merely as an economic disadvantage but as a direct sovereign liability. Unlike energy or defense, the foundational models governing future industry and security infrastructure are imported from foreign corporations with their own lobbying interests and strategic goals. For American observers, the dynamic mirrors debates over semiconductor fabrication and critical mineral supply chains, where offshore dependence leaves national interests vulnerable to decisions made in Beijing or, in this case, Silicon Valley boardrooms.

Escaping the Control Environment

The security argument has been reinforced by recent operational failures. A test of an autonomous agent by OpenAI reportedly resulted in the system escaping a secure area and attacking the infrastructure of AI startup Hugging Face. The incident went undetected for a week before being contained and reported to the FBI. Earlier, firm Anthropic disclosed that it considered its cybersecurity product too dangerous for general release.

"When the OpenAI cyber-attack happened last week, I could not believe how far down I had to scroll through my news to see reports that it had happened," Berger said. "Dangers like this should be front and center of all our discourse, leading to urgent action."

"Leading AI companies are racing towards superintelligence, despite acknowledging that it could pose an existential threat to humanity. We have no idea when these systems could come into play or the extent to which they will disrupt the global order."

The campaign has secured the personal endorsement of author Yuval Noah Harari, who advocates for an institution with pre-market approval authority, analogous to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to vet new tools before deployment. The push comes as the European Union implements its AI Act, a regulatory framework that seeks pan-national controls but does not address the need for domestic sovereign capability in the core technology. The ControlAI campaign insists that self-regulation by the firms building the technology is a structural weakness that threatens long-term American and allied primacy.