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<\/p>\nBoth rank behind Kazakhstan<\/p>\n
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The UK is trailing in the race to regulate AI, according to new research examining how governments around the world are responding to the rapid rise of the technology.<\/strong><\/p>\n A study by researchers at Comparitech<\/a> assessed 178 countries and found that only 33 currently have comprehensive AI legislation in place.<\/p>\n Most of those nations \u2013 27 \u2013 are in the European Union, where the landmark AI Act has set a high regulatory benchmark, while the UK and United States scored significantly lower.<\/p>\n Image<\/p>\n Description<\/p>\n Source: Comparitech<\/p>\n The report evaluated countries using 11 measures, including whether AI-specific laws exist or are proposed, the presence of a regulatory body, protections against bias, requirements to disclose copyrighted training data, and penalties for non-compliance.<\/p>\n Countries were also judged on whether their laws address issues such as deepfakes, worker protections, environmental impact and safeguards for children.<\/p>\n Each nation received a score out of 14.<\/p>\n Denmark, France and Greece topped the rankings, each scoring 13 out of 14, reflecting strong protections under the EU’s AI Act<\/a> alongside national regulations.<\/p>\n The EU law aims to ensure AI systems operate safely and transparently, uphold fundamental rights and continue to encourage innovation.<\/p>\n Among other provisions, it requires regulators to be established, mandates disclosure of copyrighted training data and introduces a risk-based framework for AI systems with penalties for companies that fail to comply.<\/p>\n Across the wider EU, most other member states scored 12 out of 14, cementing the region’s lead in global AI governance.<\/p>\n UK and US fall behind<\/p>\n Outside Europe, the highest-ranking country was Kazakhstan, which scored 11 out of 14 after introducing its own AI law in January 2026.<\/p>\n The legislation broadly mirrors the EU’s principles but is less detailed, leaving greater room for interpretation as regulators implement the rules.<\/p>\n Vietnam and South Korea followed with scores of 10.<\/p>\n By contrast, the United States scored just 4 out of 14, reflecting a fragmented approach to AI governance.<\/p>\n Existing US laws are mostly set at the state level. Federal laws largely focus on specific issues, including legislation targeting the distribution of sexual imagery online – including AI-generated material – and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which governs how online services, including chatbots, collect data from minors.<\/p>\n In 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI<\/a>,” rolled back several regulatory safeguards introduced during the previous administration.<\/p>\n The United Kingdom performed only slightly better than the USA, scoring 5 out of 14, suggesting its more flexible, innovation-focused approach has yet to translate into detailed legal protections<\/a>.<\/p>\n Patchy protections worldwide<\/p>\n Researchers said the findings reveal an uneven global regulatory landscape, despite growing concerns over the risks advanced AI systems pose.<\/p>\n These include deepfake videos, biased<\/a> hiring algorithms, AI-generated explicit imagery<\/a> and chatbot interactions linked to serious mental health harm.<\/p>\n Even among countries with legislation, the study found significant gaps.<\/p>\n One of the most striking omissions concerns environmental impact<\/a>. No country was found to have fully addressed the issue, despite the growing energy, water and computing demands associated with training and running large AI models.<\/p>\n The research also highlighted broad exemptions within existing laws.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\".\/media_11449ee39afe73e52403063eb4aaa5ccc4b09f612.png?width=750&format=png&optimize=medium\")
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