During his speech, Sir Keir emphasised that his government would take a more aggressive approach to the development of AI than the European Union has.

Major tech companies have previously criticised the EU’s approach claiming that it hinders growth and hampers innovation.

Under the AI Act introduced by the EU last August, systems considered “high-risk”, in critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, law enforcement, border management or elections, will have to comply with strict requirements set out by lawmakers.

Sir Keir says the UK would “go our own way on this”, and would regulate in a way that was “pro-growth and pro-innovation”.

And while the prime minister said he backed the AI Safety Institute set up by the last government, he suggested the Conservatives may have adopted an overbearing approach to AI safety.

Former Prime Minster Rishi Sunak had warned of the threat of humanity losing control over AI systems.

Sir Keir said the UK would “test and understand AI before we regulate it,” adding that new restrictions on the technology would be “proportionate and grounded in the science”.

But could this stance make the government a hostage to fortune. Lots of different technologies come under the banner of AI. Where safety is concerned, some areas are more robust than others. If one of the less robust applications of AI makes a mistake, it has the potential to undermine the whole endeavour.

Dr Hare challenged Sir Keir’s change from the previous government’s position on safety, asking “what has changed in a year” where the government warned of the serious risks of unregulated AI systems during the summit at Bletchley Park.

“We really need to take the public with us. You can’t scare people like that, and then tell them to stop worrying about supposedly small risks.”