Rishi Sunak Says UK Must Grasp Opportunities of AI to Remain a Tech Capital

Britain should act rapidly to stay a tech capital, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will inform tech leaders on Monday, urging them to know the alternatives and challenges of synthetic intelligence.

Sunak, talking firstly of London Tech Week, will say the “tectonic plates of know-how are shifting”.

“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,” Sunak will say, in keeping with advance extracts launched by his workplace.

“That is my aim. And I really feel a way of urgency and accountability to ensure we seize it.”

Governments around the world are now trying to find a balance whereby they can assess and rein in some of the potential negative consequences of AI without stifling innovation.

Britain in March opted to split regulatory responsibility for AI between those bodies that oversee human rights, health and safety, and competition, rather than creating a new body dedicated to the technology.

Sunak will say the tech sector is at the heart of his priority to grow the economy and outline how the government will work with businesses to capitalise on opportunities presented by transformative technologies, such as AI, which proponents have compared with the arrival of the internet.

During a visit to Washington last week, Sunak said Britain would host a global summit on artificial intelligence safety later this year to consider the risks of AI and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action.

“The possibilities are extraordinary. But we must – and we will – do it safely,” he’ll say on Monday. “I wish to make the UK not simply the mental residence, however the geographical residence of world AI security regulation.”

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)