HOUSE of the PEOPLE

AUTUMN 2026

UK Citizens' Assembly on Artificial Intelligence

Right now, AI is being widely introduced without our say...

in our courts

to score over 1000 people every day on trial in Britain, before a judge ever sees them

in our police force

to scan almost 10,000,000 faces last year, and arresting someone every 90 minutes

in our workplace

to track staff logins, history, keystrokes, idle time & ranking staff for 1 in 3 employers

in our homes

to listen in through smart speakers in 41% of households

in our communities

1 proposed data centre = 5 x annual carbon footprint of Birmingham airport.

in our children's phones

1 in 4 UK teenagers were using chatbots for mental health support last year

Nobody is asking us.

In January
2026

the UK government fast-tracked planning permission for new data centres

In March

the UK government's 5-year consultation resulted in no measures being taken. The introduction of an AI Bill to Parliament was delayed indefinitely.

In July

the UK government removed planning rules that insisted on listening to local communities.

Later in
2026

the UK government intends to give ministers power to slow down regulation.

In Autumn 2026an accurate snapshot of the UK will form the second sitting of the House of the People

100 people will come together to hear the evidence and decide on what should be done to govern AI

While politicians cut red tape to accelerate expansionThis House is hearing from citizens

The Citizen's Assembly will hear from affected communities across the UK through local assemblies

This Assembly follows a first sitting where members raised AI as a concern

At the first sitting,

urgently enact strict AI regulation

agreed

21% weren't sure

teach kids to navigate AI and social media

agreed

23% weren't sure

They fell just short of the final Charter. People felt they needed to know more.

Proposals

What people said

"we need to ensure that there's common laws and regulations on how AI is used, what AI is trained on, what biases are going into, and making sure that it's ethically used, fairly used, and controlled in that way

"what are the jobs of the future? It's not that there aren't going to be any jobs, it's just whether those jobs are economically valued!"

For a final demand, members called for future generations to be put above short term economic growth

To implement a first principle act that ensures all government policy prioritises well-being, sustainability and nature over GDP for all current and future generations

Charter Demand

Who's involved?

Members of the House of the People

100 people were chosen by democratic lottery, a bit like a jury, to reflect the country across age, gender, ethnicity, region, disability and attitudes towards AI.

This is a working cross-section of Britain & Northern Ireland.

After 40 hours of online and in-person learning and discussions, they will decide on what should be done to govern the use of this technology in the UK.

Who's involved?

Experts & Evidence

The Odyssean Institute — researchers from Oxford, Cambridge and MIT — will help members run the same modelling tools as governments and tech companies.

A Horizon Scan will explore the greatest risks of AI and to filter out bias.

A Horizon Summit will map who actually holds power over AI and how the future could unfold depending on the choices made.

And advanced modelling will help the House stress-test policies against thousands of scenarios.

Who's involved?

Workers

On Saturday 12th September, Workers Planet is bringing trade unionists and climate organisers to Brighton - the day before Trade Union Congress - to deliberate on and organise around the use of AI in the workplace — all for members of the House to consider.

Affected Communities

Local people, in towns across the UK, are seeing new data centres approved and consultations cancelled.

Assemblies are being called this Autumn in the places affected, to feed into the House sitting in November.

Parliament at night with a projection reading Power to a House of the People

Collage of members of the House of the People

Then, we make waves…

Pull The Plug

Pull The Plug is a nonviolent grassroots movement, started by ordinary people worried about what AI is doing to their industries, communities and environment.

With chapters across the UK, they intend to help put the House’s verdict in front of the public

Filmmakers are capturing the second sitting and Odyssean Process of expert input

A full public report and academic write-up will go to every MP in Parliament

The Organisers

Assemble

Assemble is a community organising project which helps everyday people come together and talk about the biggest issues facing Britain. It provides people with tools & training to build popular assemblies that support collective action at the community level and which feed into the national House of the People.

Odyssean Institute

The Odyssean Institute is a registered charity and team of researchers from Oxford, Cambridge and MIT who combine rigorous expert evidence-gathering with advanced computer modelling to help institutions navigate complex problems and make decisions grounded in robust, bias-filtered evidence.

Be a part of it.

This Assembly can only happen because of the support of people like you. Our government won't pay for participatory democracy, so we have to raise the funds ourselves with your help. Join the 500 people who funded the first sitting and help us get to our target to make this landmark second sitting possible.

give what you can

Fund the Assembly

We have a remaining target of £50,000 to fund this sitting. This pays the travel, accommodation, and childcare that allows 100 regular people take part on equal terms.

Donate

give what time you have

Join the Crew

Facilitators, organisers, mobilisers and more make community assemblies and this second sitting happen.

Volunteer