{"slug": "uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20", "title": "UK seeks to broker global AI agreement at G20", "summary": "U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the U.K. will use its upcoming G20 presidency to seek a global agreement on AI, telling journalists in New York on Monday night that the country is \"uniquely positioned to play a leadership role on AI\" and could act as an \"honest broker\" through expertise including its AI Security Institute. Burnham, who is due to meet President Donald Trump for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday, said he would assure Trump the U.K. will take a balanced approach and that he wants to find a \"sweet spot\" between AI's benefits and risks rather than become a \"doom-monger about AI.\" Burnham is expected to call on countries to work together on AI in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Tuesday evening, with AI minister Kanishka Narayan traveling with him and No. 10 saying AI would dominate diplomatic engagements.", "body_md": "Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a speech during a reception at no 10 Downing Street on September 21, 2026 in London. | WPA pool photo by Jonathan Brady/Getty Images\n\nNEW YORK — The U.K. will seek to use its upcoming G20 presidency to forge a global agreement on AI, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said ahead of a visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York.\n\nThis comes as discussions about global AI governance have shot up the diplomatic agenda in the wake of dire warnings about the potential threats from the technology, and marks the most significant intervention yet from the U.K.’s prime minister about how he will respond to perceived threats from AI.\n\nSpeaking to journalists on Monday night, Burnham said the U.K. was “uniquely positioned to play a leadership role on AI,” citing its relations with the EU, U.S. and China. He also said the U.K.'s expertise, including its AI Security Institute, means it could be act as an “honest broker.”\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“I think we can really do something in this space [that is] very significant,” Burnham said.\n\nBurnham is due to meet President Donald Trump for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday, and said he will assure the U.S. president that the U.K. will take a balanced approach on AI.\n\n“I think you have to be clear-eyed about the huge benefits it can bring as well as recognizing where we do need to be careful,” Burnham said — noting that Trump has warned of risks from AI. The U.S. president has also branded existential warnings around the tech as a “HOAX.”\n\nBurnham said warnings from AI company insiders have “made me pause” but that he was determined to find a “sweet spot” on balancing the tech's benefits against its risks, and not turn into a “doom-monger about AI.”\n\nThe U.K.’s AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, has traveled with Burnham to New York, where No. 10 said AI would dominate diplomatic engagements.\n\nIn a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday evening, Burnham is expected to call on countries to work together to harness AI for good and promise U.K. leadership on the issue.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20", "canonical_source": "https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication", "published_at": "2026-09-22 09:25:35+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-22 10:23:39.194573+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "artificial-intelligence", "ai-safety"], "entities": ["Andy Burnham", "United Kingdom", "G20", "Donald Trump", "AI Security Institute", "Kanishka Narayan", "United Nations General Assembly", "No. 10 Downing Street"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/uk-seeks-to-broker-global-ai-agreement-at-g20.jsonld"}}