Sixty U.K. lawmakers have accused Google DeepMind of violating international AI safety pledges in an open letter organized by activist group PauseAI U.K. The cross-party coalition claims Google’s March release of Gemini 2.5 Pro without proper safety testing details “sets a dangerous precedent” and undermines commitments to responsible AI development.
What you should know: Google DeepMind failed to provide pre-deployment access to Gemini 2.5 Pro to the U.K. AI Safety Institute, breaking established safety protocols.
- TIME confirmed for the first time that Google DeepMind did not share the model with the U.K. AI Safety Institute before its March 25 release.
- The company only provided access to the safety institute after the model was already publicly available.
- This contradicts international agreements requiring AI companies to allow government safety testing before deployment.
Who’s involved: The letter includes prominent figures from across the political spectrum calling for accountability.
- Signatories include digital rights campaigner Baroness Beeban Kidron and former Defence Secretary Des Browne.
- The initiative was coordinated by PauseAI U.K., an activist organization focused on AI safety, with members directly contacting their MPs to request signatures.
- The letter was addressed to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind.
Google’s response: The company claims it did share the model with safety experts, but only after public release.
- A Google DeepMind spokesperson told TIME that the company shared Gemini 2.5 Pro with the U.K. AI Safety Institute and “a diverse group of external experts.”
- These external experts included Apollo Research, Dreadnode, and Vaultis.
- However, Google confirmed this sharing occurred only after the March 25 public release date.
Why this matters: The controversy highlights growing tensions between AI companies and regulators over safety commitments.
- The lawmakers argue that releasing models without prior safety testing undermines international efforts to ensure responsible AI development.
- This case could set a precedent for how strictly governments enforce AI safety pledges from major tech companies.
- The incident raises questions about whether voluntary commitments from AI companies are sufficient to ensure public safety.
The big picture: This dispute reflects broader challenges in AI governance as companies race to deploy increasingly powerful models while governments struggle to establish effective oversight mechanisms.
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