We will do battle with AI chatbots as we did with Grok, says Starmer

The government intends to: (1) include AI chatbots in the Online Safety Act, which became law in 2023 but predates ChatGPT and similar tools; (2) create new legal powers to take 'immediate action' following consultation; (3) amend rules so chatbots must protect users from illegal content; (4) require coroners to notify Ofcom of every child death aged 5-18 to ensure tech companies preserve relevant data within five days rather than allowing deletion within 12 months; and (5) consider preventing children from using virtual private networks (VPNs, tools that mask a user's location and identity) to bypass age checks. The Technology Secretary stated the government should be able to 'act swiftly once it had come to a decision' and compared the need for faster technology legislation to the annual budget process.