UK's Burnham wants "single set of global principles" to control AI

Andy Burnham has told business chiefs he wants a "single set of global principles and standards" to guard against rogue artificial intelligence.

The prime minister said the issue will be the main focus of the UK's presidency of the G20 group of leading economies.

Speaking at an event while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, he said he wanted to unlock the potential of the rapidly developing technology while guarding against the risks.

He told business leaders, including Apple's Executive Chairman Tim Cook, that AI would be a new industrial revolution.

The prime minister said: "AI will be the primary focus of the UK presidency. We want to pick up the initiatives that are beginning to emerge, develop, and bring them into a single set of global principles and standards that are very much about unlocking the full potential whilst guarding against the risks."

At the business event were Chris Boerner, of BMS, Bill Huffman of Nuveen, Adena Friedman from Nasdaq, Jon Gray from Blackstone, Robin Vince from BNY, Jane Fraser of Citi, Google's Ruth Porat and Martin Schroeter from Kyndry.

Setting out his plans to boost the UK economy, Burnham said: "We've been in a slow to medium position in terms of growth in the last decade.

"We need to become much more intentional about breaking out of it, being clear about where we see Britain's industrial strengths going forward. I'm talking about re-industrialisation, and I think we need to think about it in those terms."

The issue of AI regulation is one of the dominant themes at the UN gathering, with US President Donald Trump dismissing fears about the security risks of advanced new models as a "hoax".

Burnham's government has been urged to back an international initiative for tougher artificial intelligence safety rules, amid growing concerns over the risks posed by the fast-progressing technology.

The UK has not signed a Finland-led declaration calling for AI to remain under human control and for mandatory pre-release testing of frontier models.

The proposal has the support of more than 20 countries – including Germany, Canada and Ireland – but not that of the US and China, which dominate AI development.

It comes after a string of warnings about the risks to humanity posed by AI have heightened calls for co-ordinated action to slow down the pace of its development.

Burnham is seeking to position the UK as an "honest broker" in bringing countries together to address the issue.

But former cabinet minister Darren Jones urged the prime minister to go further by signing the Finnish declaration and to seek to broker an agreement with Washington on its implementation.

Jones, who served as chief secretary to Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer, said on X: "The list of signatories to the 'Call for Control of Frontier AI Models' are the UK's natural allies.

"The UK has special access to American AI models through the AI Security Institute, which is partly why the UK Government will want to remain in lock step with the US.

"But I don't see any reason why the UK can't sign up to the Finnish proposal. I encourage our government to do so and to offer to broker agreement on its application with the US.

"The US and the UK are already at the forefront of pre-deployment testing, albeit on a voluntary basis.

"There should be a landing zone to agree mandatory testing of the frontier, with a solution built to enable this without undermining competitive advantage between companies and nations, or going too far with new compliance requirements on safe AI."

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey will use his speech at his party's conference to call for a global treaty to press pause on super-intelligent AI, as well as a new international AI safety agency modelled on the International Atomic Energy Agency to stop anyone developing the technology recklessly.

Meanwhile, tech giants Meta, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic have been asked to give evidence to MPs as they examine questions including whether firms should be legally required to submit their AI models to independent safety testing before deploying them.

The House of Commons Business, Innovation, Science & Trade Committee has invited representatives from the companies to give evidence at an urgent hearing on October 13, as it concludes its inquiry into the UK's economic strategy for AI.

The panel will also consider topics such as whether companies accept mandatory reporting of serious safety incidents, including deceptive behaviour by AIs, and evidence of loss of human control.

The MPs will also explore what international requirements should be in place to prevent a "race to the bottom" in the industry.

In letters to the four companies – key players in the AI boom – the committee said trust had emerged as the core issue in its probe, both in AI security and safety and in ensuring workers and businesses would not lose out in an AI-powered economy.

Chair Liam Byrne wrote that "warnings of industry leaders and whistleblowers in recent weeks have demonstrated that the UK's public policy framework and international agreements are not yet fit for the future".

The companies have been asked to confirm by September 29 whether they will send representatives to the hearing and to provide written responses to the committee's questions in advance.

The firms have been approached for comment.

Staff at leading AI firms and the UK's AI Security Institute have been signed off work because of stress caused by concerns the technology was unsafe for public release, the Financial Times has reported.

By David Hughes in New York and Sophie Wingate, Press Association

source: PA

Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.