Ministers on the Commons Technology Committee said the EU could overtake the UK in efforts to make AI safe unless action is taken.

In November, the UK will host an international AI summit.

If necessary, the government is willing to consider further steps.

However, it did not reveal whether it agreed that a new law should be introduced so quickly. A spokesperson instead highlighted the summit and a £100m investment in a task-force to promote safe AI development.

The UK government says this is more funding devoted to AI safety than any other government.

A committee report released Thursday says the earliest legislation could become law in 2025 if legislation is not introduced in the King’s Speech on 7 November.

If no legislation is introduced for two years, the UK risks “being left behind by other legislation-like the EU AI Act-that could become the de facto standard and be difficult to change”.

According to the report, the situation could mirror EU data protection rules, where UK laws followed the lead of the EU.

Rishi Sunak, however, has previously argued that, initially, “we can probably do lots of this without legislation” even though the government’s white paper on AI regulation recognises a new law may be needed at some point.

The government says the November summit will be “the world’s first major global summit on AI safety.”.

A wide range of countries, including China, should be invited, according to the committee.