UK DSIT plans to establish a new AI Growth Lab

The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced its plans to establish an AI Growth Lab, a new blueprint for AI regulation. This regulatory sandbox is designed to support responsible AI innovation by allowing firms to pilot AI technologies in real-world conditions, under temporary and closely supervised environments. The Lab would operate issue specific sandboxes, focusing on sectors where there is opportunity for innovation and adoption, but where regulatory modification may be needed and existing regulatory sandboxes are not in place. Within the Lab, certain regulations may be temporarily "switched off" or adjusted for a limited period to enable experimentation.

Target sectors include professional services, healthcare, transport and advanced manufacturing. DSIT has issued a call for views to help shape the Lab's operating model. The proposals cover its design (including whether it should be centrally operated by the government or relevant regulator-led on a sandbox-by-sandbox approach), application criteria, necessary safeguards and the length of the sandbox. DSIT is also considering powers for government to make permanent responsible regulatory modifications, validated through Lab testing, by secondary legislation. This would be subject to appropriate parliamentary scrutiny. If adopted, this mechanism would mean that the Lab is not only a safe and controlled way to trial responsible AI, but also a driver for dynamic regulatory reform. The deadline for responses is 2 January 2026. During the response window, DSIT will organise roundtables for stakeholder and public engagement.

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