UK Ofcom sets out AI safety and innovation strategy
The regulator is working with bodies such as the National Cyber Security Centre to address risks including deepfakes, cyber threats, and chatbot safety concerns.
Ofcom has outlined its approach to enabling safe and secure AI adoption across the UK communications sectors it regulates and within its own work.
The regulator said its approach is technology-neutral and outcomes-based, aligning AI oversight with its wider mission of making communications work for everyone while supporting innovation and growth.
Ofcom’s report uses case studies to show how AI is already shaping regulatory work and the sectors it oversees. Planned and recent initiatives include building a pilot data lake to make spectrum licensing and online safety data more accessible, engaging with innovators to identify regulatory uncertainty, and assessing public trust in AI chatbots.
The regulator is also examining the impact of AI on telecoms customer experience, exploring AI deployment in broadcasting, assessing AI use in cybersecurity for telecommunications networks, and considering how AI could support network management and optimisation.
Alongside innovation support, Ofcom said it is monitoring AI-related risks and emerging harms. Its work includes guidance on technology-led mitigation against deepfakes, research into chatbot-related harms, and action to address risks posed by AI systems to users.
Ofcom said it coordinated with the AI Security Institute and the National Cyber Security Centre to brief stakeholders on the frontier AI cybersecurity implications following Anthropic’s preview of Claude Mythos, which caused concern. It also said it launched a formal investigation into X’s Grok chatbot.
The regulator is also piloting responsible AI use internally, including tools to support policy development, research, consultation processes, tracking of technical standards, and operational efficiency. Ofcom said it will take a safety-first approach and roll out internal AI tools only once it is confident they are safe and secure.
Why does it matter?
Ofcom’s approach shows how AI governance is becoming operational inside sector regulators, not only debated at the government level. The strategy links innovation support with risk monitoring across online safety, telecoms, broadcasting, cybersecurity, spectrum management, and consumer protection. It also shows regulators experimenting with AI in their own workflows while trying to maintain safety, accountability, and public trust.
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