WASHINGTON – Britain’s leader Rishi Sunak wrapped up a two-day visit to Washington on Thursday, his fourth encounter with President Joe Biden in as many months. But before checking in with his American counterpart, the cricket-loving prime minister caught a baseball game.
At the White House, Sunak and Biden held wide-ranging talks dominated by global security, the dangers (and benefits) of artificial intelligence and economic concerns from Ukraine to stubbornly high inflation.
The two leaders said at a joint White House news conference that they had reached an agreement that would improve cooperation between the two countries on clean energy transition, development of emerging technologies, and protecting technology that is critical to national security.
“The global economy is undergoing the greatest transformation that has occurred since the industrial revolution,” Biden said at the start of their Oval Office meeting.
Sunak arrived in the U.S. capital late Tuesday. On Wednesday, the first full day of his trip, he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, met with business leaders and senior lawmakers, and attended a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks, although he declined a chance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“As you guys know, my sport is more cricket than baseball,” Sunak told British reporters on the flight over.
A quick recap on Rishi Sunak: Who is he?
Sunak, 43, is the fifth British prime minister to hold the role in seven years. He replaced Liz Truss, who latest all but two months on the job. She succeeded the mercurial, gaffe-prone and COVID-lockdown avoiding Boris Johnson. Sunak is Britain’s first leader of South Asian descent, its first Hindu prime minister, and the nation’s first leader of color. He is the youngest prime minister of modern times.
A former investment banker and finance minister, Sunak is Oxford-brainy (and Stanford, where he got his MBA), married to the heir to one of India’s wealthiest technology company fortunes and, despite his globalist credentials, supported Britain’s politically populist decision to the leave the European Union, known as Brexit.
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Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. George W. Bush and Tony Blair. Theresa May, and, uh, Donald Trump. Sunak and Biden aren’t quite − yet − the trans-Atlantic political power duo that has long defined the so-called special relationship, a storied partnership between the U.S. and U.K. built on close political, economic and cultural ties (along with a heavy helping of myth-making by journalists and historians).
When they met in San Diego in March as part of a security conference, Biden teased Sunak about the latter’s vacation home in Santa Monica. There is lingering disagreement about what Brexit means for peace in Northern Ireland, a subject close to Biden’s heart. Sunak has made it clear he views Biden’s subsidies to the U.S. green energy sector as a form of trade protectionism.
A few times, Biden has mispronounced Sunak’s name, including during an event at the White House to mark the Indian holiday Diwali. But on the biggest issues of the day the two leaders appear to be on the same page. Not least: the need to arm Ukraine as it fights off Russia’s invasion, and concern over what China’s rampant technological and military ascendency means for global security.
At the start of Thursday’s meeting, Biden noted the history between the U.S. and the U.K. and the conversations between previous presidents and prime ministers such as Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.
“It’s daunting to think of the conversations our predecessors have had in this room, when they had to speak of wars they fought together, peace they won together and incredible change in the lives of our citizens,” Sunak said.
What to do about AI, and who to do it with
Before leaving for Washington, Sunak said he hoped that his meetings with Biden would focus on security in the broadest possible sense. Still, one area that is extremely specific is to do with artificial intelligence and what to do not only about its rapid rise and consumer accessibility, but its potential to impact everything from jobs to battlefields.
Reports in the British media indicated that Sunak intended to pitch Biden on the idea of the U.K. playing a leading role in helping to craft some form of global regulatory body or framework for AI.
“No one country can do this alone,” Sunak said Wednesday. “This is going to take a global effort.”
Sunak made this case himself in an interview with British broadcaster Channel 4 News on Thursday, saying “when it comes to AI, the facts are clear: outside of America, the U.K. is unquestionably the leading country − democratic country − when it comes to AI research, AI companies, AI expertise. So I think it is natural that we would seek to play a leading role in shaping the regulations for AI for the future.”
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However, the U.S. and EU are already discussing a similar idea with a draft for a voluntary code of conduct for AI expected within weeks and thus it remains unclear how much influence the U.K. will be able to bring to this initiative now that it is outside the EU and lacks the collective bargaining strength of the bloc’s 27 members.
Biden said the challenges that comes with the advancement of AI technology are “staggering.”
“It is a limitless capacity and possibility but we have to do it with great care,” said Biden, who added that he welcomed the U.K.’s leadership on the issue.
Contributing: The Associated Press
