Green Party plan to curb tech giants after warning of AI 'threat to humanity'

The Green Party has proposed a five-point plan to curb the power of tech giants after industry insiders warned that artificial intelligence could pose an existential risk to humanity.

It includes co-operating with other countries to establish a worldwide body to oversee and regulate AI development, as well as a legal ban on lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS).

LAWS can independently identify and engage targets without human intervention. The UK does not currently have them but the recent Defence Investment Plan (DIP) promised £5bn into drones and autonomous systems, which can operate without human control.

The Greens see a crackdown on tech as a new political priority and hope to push the government to "recognise the urgency of the situation" by ramping up the rhetoric, a source told Sky News.

Party insiders are buoyed by the government's major decision this week to impose a trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements, believing they were ahead of the political curve on the issue.

They hope to make tech the next big pressure point, having recently called for a freeze on the approval of new data centres due to the energy and water they use.

Dame Chi Onwurah, the Labour chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said the party was right to call for regulation "in the light of recent events".

But she claimed their announcement "is a hodge-podge of buzzwords and meaningless phrases".

She told Sky News: "Regulate AI - to do what? Protect copyright, require security assessments, protect personal likeness? My select committee has called for clarity on AI regulation, and the government strategy for technology sovereignty, the government response should set that out."

Other elements of the Greens' plan include directing public funding towards AI "for the public good" and protections for workers to keep key decisions in human hands.

This is as well as a cross-sector plan to build our own AI infrastructure to end reliance on US tech.

The party did not explain how this would be funded, with more details expected in due course.

The Green's science and technology working group had already been drafting the proposals but brought forward an announcement in light of new warnings about the threat of AI to humanity

Green MP Sian Berry, leading on plans, told Sky News: "Technologies with the power to reshape our lives must be subject to effective public oversight.

"Greens want strong regulation of AI, with clear safeguards against harmful uses and proper democratic accountability."

On Wednesday a top safety researcher at Anthropic, Evan Hubinger, warned he believed there was a greater than 10% chance AI could pose a species-ending risk within 10 years.

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He laid out his concerns on X in response to another Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, announcing his departure from the company and claiming those building the tech "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade".

The Financial Times also reports that Anthropic had withheld its latest model from the UK's AI Safety Institute, one of the world's leading bodies for testing the risks of the technology.

PM acknowledges security risk

Andy Burnham acknowledged "risks to national security" when asked about the AI threat at Prime Minister's Questions by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey.

He said his decision to boost the role of AI safety minister Kanishka Narayan by giving him a seat at the Cabinet table had "lifted the level of the conversation about artificial intelligence within government".

He suggested he was open to cross party talks, saying colleagues "on all sides of the House" could be "part of that crucial discussion".

The prime minister is also facing pressure from Labour MPs, with former Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones calling for a new multi-national treaty to regulate the development of the technology.

Meanwhile Alex Sobel, part of the soft-left Mainstream group closely allied to the prime minister, has proposed a bill to prohibit superintelligent AI systems. He told Sky News it was backed by about 50 of his colleagues so far.

Another Labour MP, Will Stone, who is a former soldier, said AI "can enhance the military power of the UK" while protecting jobs in defence and technology. However he said he supports regulation "and a cautious approach".

A government spokesperson said: "The UK is working with partners around the world to better understand the most advanced AI systems, raise safety standards and build a shared evidence base for managing emerging threats. Through the AI Security Institute we are leading global efforts to test and understand frontier AI systems, while helping to develop the standards and safeguards needed to keep people, businesses and critical infrastructure secure."

(c) Sky News 2026: Green Party plan to curb tech giants after warning of AI 'threat to humanity'