Britain wants artificial intelligence to help run its economy and public services. Much of the technology belongs to companies overseas. A group of MPs has warned that access to important AI systems could be restricted by another country or company with little notice, and that Britain would have limited control over the decision.
The warning comes from the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. Its report, published on 7 July 2026, says the government has no clear plan for protecting Britain's control over critical technology, including AI, quantum computing and space systems.
The committee says Britain may not always be able to rely on its allies, because friendly governments still act in their own interests. The United States has already placed restrictions on access to some AI models, and MPs say that shows how quickly the rules can change.
An AI model is the system behind tools that produce text, analyse information or make predictions. The most powerful models require huge amounts of data, computer chips and electricity.
Britain does not need to build every part itself. Trying to recreate the entire global technology industry inside one country would be slow and painfully expensive, and working with allies and private companies can give Britain access to better systems at a lower cost.
But dependence brings risk.
If a foreign government changes its export rules, British access can be reduced. A company can increase its prices, withdraw a service or change what customers are allowed to do with it. The government may have little power to stop any of that.
This matters because ministers want AI used across the public sector. Hospitals could use it to examine scans, government departments to process information, and police forces, councils and schools may also rely on systems built and operated abroad.
The more important the system becomes, the harder it is to replace.
Britain is strong at early research. Its universities and scientists produce ideas that compete with the best in the world. The problem often comes later. British technology companies need large amounts of money to grow, and the committee says too many struggle to find that backing here and move overseas instead.
Britain helps create the idea. Another country ends up owning the company.
MPs want the government to decide which technologies Britain must be able to build or operate for itself, and to set out a clear plan showing how those abilities will be funded and protected.
The committee accused the government of taking an “opportunistic approach” to international science and technology agreements. In plain English, ministers have been doing deals as opportunities appear without showing how they fit into a wider plan. The report also criticises cuts to research funded through overseas aid, saying Britain has missed chances to use science to build stronger relationships with other countries.
Ministers still deserve credit for attracting investment from major technology companies. Foreign money, expertise and computing power can help British researchers and businesses. But investment does not give Britain control. The companies still own their technology, and their home governments still set export rules.
Britain now has to decide what it must control, what it can safely share and where dependence has gone too far.
The committee’s warning is blunt: without a realistic plan, access to critical technology could be cut off “at the whim of its partners.”