First AI summit to be held in the UK: PM Sunak

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that Britain would host the first artificial intelligence summit in the world later this year to facilitate international cooperation to curb the technology’s potential doomsday hazards while maximizing its possibilities.

Sunak stated in Washington, before Thursday’s talks with US President Joe Biden, that “AI has an incredible potential to transform our lives for the better. But we need to ensure it is developed and used in a safe and secure way.”

“We have created paradigm-changing new technologies time and time again throughout history, and we have harnessed them for the benefit of humanity.

Following a G7 demand for action in Japan last month, the summit is anticipated to take place in the autumn and will bring together “like-minded countries” to create a regulatory response.

The spokesman denied that the summit was meant to counterweight initiatives by countries like China and Russia to use AI for authoritarian purposes.

But even as Britain prepares to host a future global regulator for AI post-Brexit, the United States and the European Union are moving forward with their direct discussions on the quickly developing technology.

Sunak refuted the idea that the UK may be forced out.

He told the BBC in Washington, “I think we should have confidence in our country being a leader when it comes to AI because that’s what the facts demonstrate.”

“There is no other democratic nation that has that strength in AI, other than the US, if you look at the number of companies, the amount invested, and the quality of our research.”

At 43, Sunak is almost half the age of the 80-year-old Biden, but he refuted claims that the US president is ignorant of modern technology in response to a UK advisor’s warning that it may end humankind in two years.

Sunak told Britain’s TalkTV before their summit, “We discussed artificial intelligence when we were in Japan together with the president (at the G7), and I know he is also aware of the challenges and opportunities that it poses.”

He indicated US support for the next UK conference by saying, “But also, I know the president is thinking about the threats that our countries face into the future and making sure that we work together to protect our countries against them.”