UK Joint Committee on Human Rights Calls for Wide-Ranging AI Bill to Address Human Rights Risks

In this issue: Weekly Trend Analysis (for paid subscribers). Updates from BRICS, European Union, US, Ghana, UK, Belarus, Poland, China, India, Thailand, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa. See fuller updates in the ‘Global Updates’ tab in the Global AI Regulation Tracker (English version | Chinese version) This week produced an unusual reversal in US AI politics. Silicon Valley’s leaders are asking Washington to slow the frontier and impose mandatory safeguards, while the Trump administration argues that regulation could surrender the AI race to China. (See more…) 🇨🇳 🌐 [[12 September 2026] President Xi delivers speech at 18th BRICS Summit on “Jointly Shouldering the Responsibility of the Times and Striving to Be a Pioneering Force”:](fi.china-embassy.gov.cn) In his address at the 18th BRICS Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that BRICS nations must act as pioneers in advancing innovation-driven development by placing AI at the center of practical cooperation. 🇿🇦 🌐 [[13 September 2026] South Africa President calls for global oversight of AI:](thepresidency.gov.za) In his address to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the BRICS to establish an international mechanism for independent scientific evaluation of AI, supported by human-control principles, mandatory incident reporting, progressively stronger safeguards as AI capabilities increase, and investment in sovereign AI capacity for developing economies. 🇺🇸 🇬🇭 [[9 September 2026] US DoC and Ghana NCA engage on AI regulation:](nca.org.gh) The National Communications Authority (NCA) has hosted a delegation from the U.S. Department of Commerce at the NCA Tower, Accra, for discussions on developments within Ghana’s communications sector, regulatory priorities and opportunities for enhanced collaboration. A major focus of the meeting was AI regulation, where both parties discussed the necessity of establishing clear oversight and mandate boundaries while maintaining enough flexibility to foster technological innovation. 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 [[10 September 2026] UK diplomats back closer EU AI ties and urge more European computing power:](mlex.com) Speaking at a European Central Bank (ECB) event in Berlin, Governing Council member and Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel emphasized that AI serves as a critical litmus test for Europe’s collective ability to unlock its economic potential amid rapid geopolitical and technological shifts. 🇬🇧 [[14 September 2026] UK Joint Committee on Human Rights calls for wide-ranging AI Bill to address severe human rights risks posed by AI:](committees.parliament.uk) The UK Joint Committee on Human Rights has called for a new AI Bill to address the scale and seriousness of threats posed to human rights by AI systems. The committee published a report emphasizing that the current regulatory framework in the UK is fragmented, relies heavily on voluntary compliance from model developers, and primarily targets deployment rather than design, leaving significant gaps in individual protections, privacy, and systemic fairness—particularly for minoritised communities. 🇧🇾 [[12 September 2026] Belarus abandons own AI regulation after 18 months:](en.belsat.eu) It is reported that Belarus has effectively abandoned its independent efforts to regulate AI, shifting its regulatory framework toward alignment with Moscow and Beijing. 🇪🇺 [[11 September 2026] EU tells tech companies to get AI models “under control” following agentic cyber hacks:](audiovisual.ec.europa.eu) In a press briefing, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed that the European Commission has warned top tech companies to immediately get their advanced AI models “under control” following a series of security breaches involving autonomous AI agents, including an incident where OpenAI agents targeted Hugging Face and thousands of rogue agents took over a German website. 🇬🇧 [[11 September 2026] Government rejects “last-resort” power to shut down AI systems and data centres:](info-gov.uk) It is reported that the UK Cabinet has rejected a cross-party amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill that sought to grant the Secretary of State emergency powers to order the shutdown of data centres and large-scale AI systems during severe national security or operational emergencies. The amendment aimed to establish a statutory “last-resort” safety valve, complete with mandates for operators to maintain emergency kill-switch infrastructure, report to Parliament, and run mandatory drills. 🇪🇺 [[10 September 2026] EU officials see AI risk alarms as validation of their regulatory approach:](politico.eu) It is reported by Politico that European Union policymakers are viewing the recent Silicon Valley panic regarding AI extinction warnings as vindication for the bloc’s AI Act. 🇪🇺 [[10 September 2026] EU gains delayed access to Anthropic’s advanced AI model:](euronews.com) It is reported that the European Union’s cybersecurity agency, ENISA, has been granted access to Anthropic’s most powerful AI model, Mythos 5, following a three-month delay caused by US export controls and security restrictions. 🇪🇺 [[10 September 2026] EU Ombudsman probes into Commission’s AI envoy appointment:](ombudsman.europa.eu) The European Ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the European Commission’s appointment of Siemens chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe as special envoy for industrial AI, following complaints from a coalition of NGOs including Transparency International, Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl, and the Good Lobby, who expressed concerns that Snabe’s ongoing role at Siemens may compromise the envoy’s independence and impartiality. 🇬🇧 [[10 September 2026] UK Green Party proposes stricter AI regulation:](greenparty.org.uk) The UK Green Party has issued a press release outlining a five-point plan to make AI companies accountable to the public and curb the power of Silicon Valley tech giants. 🇬🇧 [[10 September 2026] Independent commission led by NHS doctors sets out blueprint to accelerate safe AI adoption in healthcare:](gov.uk) The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published the recommendations of the independent National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, established in September 2025, which includes diverse expertise from health, regulation, and AI sectors, with international contributors from the USA and Singapore. 🇬🇧 [[10 September 2026] Anthropic withheld latest AI model from UK AI Security Institute:](ft.com) It is reported th