UK will aim for ‘single set’ of global AI standards at G20

NEW YORK — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday an international agreement on AI led by the U.K. will seek to establish “a single set of global principles and standards.”

Burnham told a meeting with business leaders in New York that AI will be “the primary focus” of the U.K.’s upcoming G20 presidency.

It comes as discussions about global AI governance have shot up the diplomatic agenda, with Burnham telling journalists on his way to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday that the U.K. could be an “honest broker” for a global agreement on how to approach the technology.

It also came shortly before President Donald Trump used his address to the U.N. to assert that the United States “totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme” to control AI, in contrast to Burnham’s messaging.

“We want to pick up the initiatives that are beginning to emerge, develop, and bring them into a single set of global principles and standards that are very much about unlocking the full potential whilst guarding against the risks,” Burnham told businesses leaders on Tuesday.

But Burnham said a single set of global standards could “also brings benefits for the U.K. as well in terms of investment.”

Calling AI a “foundational technology,” Burnham said the U.K. will seek to “shape it, work with it, make sure it’s AI for good — understanding the challenges and the risks that come from it.”