The Green Party of England and Wales has unveiled a five-point strategy to regulate artificial intelligence, following high-profile warnings from industry insiders that current developments pose a “threat to humanity.”
The policy launch in Westminster comes after the resignation of Jacob Coxon, a researcher formerly of OpenAI and Anthropic. On 9 September 2026, Mr Coxon warned that tech giants were “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence” and claimed they were “gambling with our lives.”
His concerns have been echoed by Evan Hubinger, a lead researcher at Anthropic, who publicly suggested there is a “greater than 10 per cent” chance that AI could lead to human extinction within a decade.
The Green Party’s Five-Point Plan
The proposed framework seeks to shift control away from private tech firms and towards public and international oversight. The five core pillars of the plan are:
- Global Oversight Body: The creation of an international authority to monitor AI development and enforce safety standards.
- Ban on Lethal Autonomous Weapons: A statutory ban on “Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems” (LAWS)—often referred to as “killer robots”—which can select and engage targets without human intervention.
- Public-Good Funding: Redirecting investment towards AI applications that provide clear social and environmental benefits.
- Worker Protections: Guaranteeing a legal “human-in-the-loop” requirement, ensuring significant workplace decisions are made by people rather than automated algorithms.
- Infrastructure Sovereignty: Establishing domestic AI infrastructure to reduce reliance on foreign tech giants.
The call for a ban on autonomous weapons directly challenges the UK Government’s current military strategy. The Defence Investment Plan, which outlines national spending priorities, has already pledged £5 billion for the development of drones and autonomous systems.
Political and Industry Reaction
For workers, the most immediate impact of the proposals would be the “human-in-the-loop” protection. This is designed to prevent “management by algorithm,” where software might autonomously handle hiring, firing, or disciplinary actions without human oversight.
As yet, the Green Party has not specified the exact funding levels required for its proposed domestic AI infrastructure or how it would enforce global oversight if major powers such as the US and China declined to participate in a new international body.
