UK to fight Russian disinformation and push new global AI standards, Burnham says

Burnham, who became prime minister after previously commenting that AI regulation was comparatively minor, has since July emphasized the need for international practice to address both the risks and potential benefits of the technology, suggesting further regulation and government action may be required. In a recent address, Burnham described frontier AI as "one of the astir important challenges and opportunities of our age." He told gathered leaders that AI would be "key to economical growth" but also a "multiplier of risk." The prime minister added, "We've each heard the warnings – which we indispensable heed. I cognize however disquieted radical are. So we person to emergence to this moment." Burnham asserted that the UK holds "a unsocial presumption arsenic an honorable broker," citing its close ties to both the United States and the European Union. He highlighted the UK's "world-leading" AI Security Institute, created under former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which evaluates large AI models prior to public release to improve safety. He pledged to place AI "at the bosom of the UK's G20 Presidency adjacent year," when leaders of the world's largest economies will convene in Manchester. Burnham said the UK will work toward establishing a set of global principles and standards to ensure transparency, access to AI models, and safe development. He noted that this approach would "bring unneurotic invited initiatives from others," referencing a recent proposal from Norway. The declaration, backed by more than 20 countries including Germany, Canada and Ireland, calls for AI to remain under human oversight and mandates pre‑release testing of frontier models. It has not been signed by the United States or China, the two nations that dominate AI development, nor by the UK itself. Earlier, US President Donald Trump rejected "any effort to conception a globalist scheme" to power AI. Former aide Darren Jones, who served as chief of staff to Burnham’s predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, urged the prime minister to endorse the declaration and to broker an agreement with the US on its implementation. Jones argued there should be "a landing portion to hold mandatory testing" without compromising competitive advantage between companies and nations. The UK AI Security Institute’s evaluations of AI models remain voluntary; reports indicate that Anthropic declined to submit its latest model for testing. Downing Street said officials had informed AI leaders in recent talks that the government expects "full and full visibility of exemplary developments." Burnham acknowledged that while developers have made notable commitments to transparency, additional measures—including legislation—are still needed to protect the public. The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have pressed the government to adopt further AI‑safety provisions. Nevertheless, any meaningful global framework for AI regulation will require the participation of the United States and China. Trump has dismissed warnings of AI‑driven human extinction as "a hoax" and rejected the notion of a worldwide strategy to control the technology, stating at the UN General Assembly, "We're going to promote it, not rein it in." Meanwhile, the government announced a new UK‑US AI and Autonomy partnership aimed at safeguarding critical national infrastructure through AI technology. Earlier on the same day, Burnham and Trump met, although Downing Street’s account of the encounter did not mention any discussion of AI.