During his visit to Washington on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted the need for the United Kingdom to assume a prominent position in regulating the rapidly expanding realm of artificial intelligence. Simultaneously, he emphasized unwavering support for Ukraine, underscoring the importance of this issue as part of his agenda.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed Wednesday for a leading UK role in regulating the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence, on a visit to Washington where he is also highlighting unstinting support on Ukraine.
Sunak will meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday as the young Conservative leader mounts an often uphill battle to show the UK’s post-Brexit relevance.
The Prime Minister wants a future global AI regulator to be based in London, according to sources, arguing that Britain has the requisite expertise and tech sector.
Sunak rejected suggestions that Britain had a hard sell after its divorce from the European Union, which just last week held its own dialogue with the United States on an AI code of conduct.
He pointed to the presence of AI companies in Britain and said that he has been at the forefront of addressing the technology’s challenges since his time as chancellor of the exchequer, the UK’s finance minister.
Downing Street task force advisor Matt Clifford warned that chances of the fast-learning systems wiping out humanity within two years are “not zero.”
Sunak opened his two-day US visit by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington.
Soldiers fired a 19-gun salute and played the US and UK anthems, as dozens of US armed forces personnel dressed in ceremonial uniforms formed an honor guard.
The Ukraine war is expected to dominate his conversations with Biden, with Britain joining the United States in championing robust military support to Kyiv.
The visit comes as Russia and Ukraine trade accusations over who blew up the large Kakhovka dam, triggering devastating floods.
The United States and Britain have not yet identified a culprit.
Sunak has also been talking up British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace as a candidate to lead NATO before the Western military alliance holds a summit next month in Lithuania, with the prime ministers of Denmark and Estonia also seen as contenders.
Sunak will also meet US business leaders but he has given up on securing a post-Brexit trade deal anytime soon with the Biden administration, which has shown limited enthusiasm.
Sunak pointed to the US-UK military alliance as he made a case for the economic relationship.
En route to Washington, Sunak announced cumulative US investment of more than £14 billion ($17 billion) into Britain, though that figure includes some that has already been deployed.
The prime minister is pushing for US relief to UK carmakers, via greater access to critical minerals used in batteries, after Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act offered vast subsidies to companies with US operations.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
