UK must lead world into AI future and tackle its risks, Rishi Sunak says

PM is expected to outline how AI benefits can improve lives

Rishi Sunak will demand that visions made possible by AI must be carried out 'safely'. Reuters

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will challenge industry leaders to tackle the “extraordinary” possibilities created by AI advances to ensure that the UK is a tech capital for the future.

He wants to make the UK both the intellectual and geographical home of artificial intelligence regulation as he urges tech bosses to grasp the opportunities and challenges that are part of AI development.

In a speech to open London Tech Week on Monday, Mr Sunak will also demand that visions made possible by AI must be carried out “safely”.

“We must act – and act quickly – if we want not only to retain our position as one of the world’s tech capitals … but to go even further, and make this the best country in the world to start, grow and invest in tech businesses,” Mr Sunak will say, according to advance extracts released by his office.

It comes after the Conservative Party leader used a trip to the US last week to announce that the UK will host the first global summit on AI safety.

The Prime Minister, in pre-briefed comments ahead of his appearance at the 10th London Tech Week, will say: “Already we've seen AI help the paralysed to walk and discover superbug-killing antibiotics – and that's just the beginning.

“The possibilities are extraordinary. But we must – and we will – do it safely.

“I want to make the UK not just the intellectual home, but the geographical home of global AI safety regulation.”

The UK Government has already given £100 million to a Foundation Model Taskforce that has been created to lead on AI safety in the UK.

US President Joe Biden told Mr Sunak while he was in Washington DC that he was looking for Britain to “lead the effort” on heading up internationally co-ordinated action to mitigate the risks of the emerging technology.

Mr Sunak has said he thought Britain was “well placed” to take a leading role in developing a “global architecture for regulation”.

Experts, including bosses at companies such as Google DeepMind and Anthropic, have warned publicly that, in the wrong hands, AI could be used to harm people and spell the end of humanity.

At Monday's conference, Mr Sunak is expected to outline the need to bring together academics, leading tech companies and Government to deliver the AI benefits that have the potential to improve lives.

Mr Sunak will also say that the UK must “act quickly” if it wants to retain its position as a tech powerhouse as he argues that the “tectonic plates of technology are shifting”.

Mr Sunak will vow to make it his mission for the UK – which he dubbed an “island of innovation” – to continue to attract tech investment.

He is expected to say that his administration's plan is to “make this the best country in the world to start, grow and invest in tech businesses”.

“That is my goal. And I feel a sense of urgency and responsibility to make sure we seize it,” he is scheduled to tell the Westminster audience.

After his speech, the Prime Minister will take part in a “fireside chat” with Demis Hassabis, chief executive of London-based Google DeepMind.

Joanna Shields, chief executive of Benevolent AI, said there was “limited opportunity to take action” on regulating AI and that she was “delighted” the UK was taking the matter seriously with its autumn safety conference.

“These crucial initiatives serve as a solid foundation, and now it is essential for both the public and private sectors to collaborate closely to tackle this monumental challenge and position the UK at the forefront of AI regulation,” she said.