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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with leader of Congress, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R), ahead of Thursday’s White House summit with President Joe Biden. Photo courtesy Rishi Sunak/Twitter
June 8 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will use his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday to throw a spotlight on the opportunities and challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
Developing a coordinated approach to emerging tech will feature among wide-ranging talks on the British-U.S relationship, in particular, “how we can work together to strengthen our economies and cement our joint leadership in the technologies of the future,” No. 10 said in a news release.
Sunak will follow an announcement Britain would host the first major global summit on AI safety in the fall by stressing the importance of like-minded allies and companies working to develop an international framework for the safe development and use of AI.
“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.
“No one country can do this alone. This is going to take a global effort. But with our vast expertise and commitment to an open, democratic international system, the U.K. will stand together with our allies to lead the way,” said Sunak.
He noted that the fact Britain and the United States were two of only three countries globally with tech sectors valued at more than $1 trillion was due in part to the world-beating universities and research institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
On Wednesday, Sunak held talks with leaders on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., where they discussed reimagining the long-standing British-U.S. alliance for the new challenges of today, with a focus on partnering to “improve shared economic security.”
Sunak wrapped up day one of his Washington visit with a baseball game to celebrate U.K.-U.S Friendship Day and honor fallen American and British service personnel.
The Washington summit comes after the United States, Britain and Australia in March signed an agreement to build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet to counter the growing assertiveness of China’s naval forces in the Pacific.
The pact followed the 2021 signing of AUKUS, a trilateral Indo-Pacific security pact, formed in part, as a response to Chinese expansionist ambitions in Southeast Asia.
