Key facts
- UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will announce a new AI defence partnership with the US at the UN General Assembly.
- The partnership aims to protect critical national infrastructure and deter threats.
- Burnham will call for global cooperation on AI, peace in Ukraine, and an end to the Middle East conflict.
- Burnham and US President Donald Trump will meet for the first time.
- Britain's Defence Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce and the US Department of War Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office will collaborate.
- Manchester will host the G20 summit next year.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to announce a new AI defence partnership with the United States at the UN General Assembly in New York. The initiative, aimed at enhancing security and protecting critical infrastructure, is part of Burnham's broader agenda to foster international cooperation on artificial intelligence, peace in Ukraine, and resolving the Middle East conflict.
Burnham is also scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time, with expectations of finding common ground despite past disagreements. The partnership will involve collaboration between Britain's Defence Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce and the US Department of War Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to accelerate the delivery of trusted, interoperable capabilities.
This move underscores Britain's ambition to lead on AI challenges, drawing parallels to its response to the global financial crisis. The collaboration is intended to strengthen the protection of critical national infrastructure, deter security threats, and leverage AI's potential. The UK, the world's third-largest AI market, is exploring how the technology can stimulate its economy, though concerns about safety efforts lagging behind powerful AI systems persist.
Separately, Manchester, Burnham's former constituency, is slated to host the G20 summit next year. The UK has previously established an AI Safety Institute and hosted the first AI safety summit in 2023.