British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that the United Kingdom intends to assume a leading role in shaping international rules for artificial intelligence. He warned that AI could erode existing safeguards and create heightened national‑security threats.
Burnham also unveiled a new national centre for information defence, tasked with detecting, attributing and countering hostile state‑sponsored information attacks. He accused Russian actors of exploiting every available tool to spread falsehoods and disinformation, a claim Moscow has rejected.
The prime minister said the UK will position itself as an "honest broker" and place AI at the centre of its G20 presidency next year. The objective, he said, is to secure a global consensus on AI principles and standards, with elected governments retaining decision‑making authority rather than technology firms.
