Former UK PM Rishi Sunak dubbed India and the UK 'AI superpowers,' highlighting their shared pro-innovation stance on AI governance. He called for deeper collaboration between their AI security institutes to manage risks from emerging technologies.
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday (local time) that both India and the United Kingdom (UK) have emerged as global "AI superpowers", highlighting growing technological cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking about the global AI landscape, at an AI-focused event hosted by the High Commission of India in London, Sunak cited the widely referenced Stanford AI Index, noting that the two countries rank among the world's leading AI powers. While acknowledging that India has recently overtaken the UK in the rankings, he added a light-hearted remark about sporting rivalry in the ICC Test rankings. He said," According to the globally respected Stanford AI Index, both India and the UK are ranked as AI superpowers. Although India has recently overtaken the UK in the rankings, I reminded Prime Minister Modi at the summit that England remains ahead in the ICC Test rankings."
Shared Philosophy on AI Governance
He stressed that both countries share a similar philosophy toward artificial intelligence governance, favouring innovation-friendly policies over heavy regulation. Sunak said, " Both India and the UK share a common outlook on AI: neither of us favours the EU's top-down regulatory approach or the ad-hoc nature of the US response. Instead, we embrace a principles-first, pragmatic, pro-innovation attitude. I believe we can unite countries around this sensible approach, even in a polarised world."
Call for Stronger Security Collaboration
The former UK PM also highlighted the importance of cooperation in ensuring the safe development of emerging technologies. He noted that India established its own AI Security Institute last year and called for stronger collaboration with the UK's counterpart. "Last year, India established its own AI Security Institute, and we must work together to foster greater cooperation between these institutes. Just as our intelligence-sharing keeps us safe from shared terrorist threats, joint efforts between our AI security institutes can protect us from the risks of emerging technologies," Sunak said.
He added that the UK-India Technology Security Initiative would help facilitate deeper collaboration between the two countries, describing it as a "powerful" example of 21st-century security cooperation focused on emerging technologies. He said," The UK-India Technology Security Initiative will help facilitate this collaboration--a powerful example of security cooperation between our nations in the 21st century."
India's Growing AI Capabilities
Meanwhile, India's High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, said that India is emerging as a major force in artificial intelligence and has significant potential to collaborate with the United Kingdom in advancing the technology. Speaking at an AI-focused event hosted by the High Commission of India in London, he highlighted India's growing role in the global AI ecosystem.
Doraiswami said recent developments demonstrate the scale of capabilities India is building in the sector. "Some of the work that was showcased in the UK to start with--now nearly three years ago--and some of the work that was showcased a few weeks ago in India suggests to us that there is considerable opportunity for us to be able to bring together the enormous capabilities that the UK has already deployed on AI and the enormous capabilities that India is bringing to display in AI," he said. (ANI)
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