Parliamentary Inquiry Launched on Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence

The UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry - Human Rights and the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence -  which seeks to examine how human rights can be protected amid the development and deployment of AI technologies.

Announced on 25 July 2025, the inquiry intends to respond to growing concerns that AI poses serious risks to individual rights. These include potential infringements on privacy, the perpetuation of bias and discrimination through data-driven models, and the opacity of AI systems that may hinder access to justice. 

The terms of reference focus on three key areas:

1. Human Rights Impacts: how AI affects rights such as privacy, protection from discrimination, and access to effective remedies when rights are violated.
2. Adequacy of Current Frameworks: whether the UK’s existing legal and regulatory structures, including the Government’s “AI Opportunities Action Plan”, are sufficient to safeguard human rights in the context of AI.
3. Future Legal and Regulatory Needs: what changes might be necessary in future legislation. This includes questions around accountability for rights breaches, the applicability of human rights standards to private sector actors, whether different types of AI require tailored regulatory approaches, and lessons learned from other jurisdictions.

The findings of the inquiry will contribute to ongoing discussions about how to regulate AI technologies in a way that both respects and upholds fundamental rights.

Submissions closed 5 September 2025 and we can expect hearings to take further evidence followed by a public report.

If you would like to discuss how current or future regulations impact what you do with AI, please contact Tom Whittaker, Brian Wong, Lucy Pegler, Martin Cook, Liz Smith or any other member in our Technology team.  For the latest on AI law and regulation, see our blog and newsletter.

This article was written by Alice Gillie.