Rishi Sunak's Extracts Reveal UK's Ambitious Plan for AI Regulation: 'We Must Act … Quickly'

Amid the global push to address the potential risk of artificial intelligence while fostering innovation, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to take center stage with an urgent call to action, emphasizing the need for quick action. 

What Happened: During the commencement of London Tech Week, Sunak will address the audience, likely asserting that the landscape of technology is undergoing a seismic shift.

He will maintain the need for prompt action, urging stakeholders to comprehend and embrace the opportunities and challenges presented by the evolving landscape of AI, reported Reuters, citing advance extracts released by his office.  

See Also: Marc Andreessen’s Bold Plan To Save The World With Unrestricted AI

“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, as per the released extracts. 

Sunak will underscore the tech sector’s central role in driving economic growth and outline the government’s collaboration with businesses to capitalize on transformative technologies like AI, often likened to the internet’s arrival, the report noted. 

“The possibilities are extraordinary. But we must – and we will – do it safely,” he will say on Monday. “I want to make the UK not just the intellectual home but the geographical home of global AI safety regulation.”

Why It’s Important: Last week, following his trip to Washington, Sunak announced that Britain would host a high-profile global summit later this year dedicated to addressing the safety concerns surrounding AI.

In April earlier this year, President Joe Biden’s administration emerged as a leading advocate, asserting the need for more robust measures to ensure the safety of AI tools before their public release. 

Previously, Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai concurred with remarks made by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk, emphasizing the criticality of regulating AI, stating, “AI is too important not to regulate well.”

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: PM Modi Envisions AI-Boosted Future For India’s Youth In Chat With Sam Altman