During his visit to Washington, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the world’s first AI summit, aiming to position the UK as a leader in managing AI risks and harnessing its transformative potential.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a world-first summit on artificial intelligence, seeking a leading role for the UK in limiting potential doomsday risks, as he visited Washington.
Sunak will meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday for talks. He will also voice unstinting support for Ukraine as the young Conservative leader wages an often uphill battle to show the UK’s post-Brexit relevance.
Opening his two-day trip, the prime minister announced that Britain would hold the world’s first artificial intelligence summit in the year’s second half.
“AI has an incredible potential to transform our lives for the better. But we need to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure,” Sunak said.
“Time and time again throughout history, we have invented paradigm-shifting new technologies, and we have harnessed them for the good of humanity. That is what we must do again,” he added.
The Group of Seven called for action on AI during a summit in Japan last month.
But the United States also talked last week about an AI code of conduct with the European Union. Sunak is pitching for a future global AI regulator based in London.
Sunak has trimmed British sails to align with US policy winds on today’s challenges, including China, while touting a post-Brexit leadership role in artificial intelligence.
He plans to host the world’s first AI summit in the autumn, vowing to craft a coordinated approach to harness its potential in areas such as medicine while averting doomsday scenarios of sentient computers wiping out humanity.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
