UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for a global framework to regulate the development of advanced artificial intelligence, putting his government
at odds with US President Donald Trump. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Burnham said the UK wanted to act as an "honest broker" in efforts to establish "a single set of global principles and standards" for frontier AI. His speech came hours after Trump told the same gathering that the US would reject attempts to impose global controls on what he called "super intelligence". Burnham said Britain would use its presidency of the G20 group of advanced economies to seek international agreement on AI. He said the UK was well placed to bring countries together. "We are America's closest ally. We have deep ties with our friends in the EU and will deepen them further. We work with China and emerging powers like India and Brazil. We sit on the Security Council. In the Commonwealth. In the CPTPP. In a divided world, we have the ability to bring people together – and we will." "We are going to step into that role. And we are going to start with one of the most significant challenges and opportunities of our age – frontier AI," he added.
‘I want to reassure the British people we will do whatever is necessary to protect them, including bringing in new laws if needed.’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is using the G20 presidency to forge a global agreement on AI, to ensure its development is safe. pic.twitter.com/WC00OIyxCj— GB News (@GBNEWS) September 23, 2026
Burnham said AI could have significant benefits in healthcare, economic growth, education and defence.
But he also acknowledged concerns about disruption to jobs and warnings from some industry figures that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity.
"I know how worried people are. So we have to rise to this moment," he said. "Fundamental decisions on this technology are too important to be left to chance. They must be taken by elected governments who serve working people."
Burnham said the UK would seek agreement on "a single set of global principles and standards to ensure the transparency and access we need to increase our preparedness – and to ensure that AI development is safe".
Trump has taken a different position, arguing that the US should continue developing advanced AI rather than introduce international restrictions.
"The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme of control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now – hereinafter officially called super intelligence," Trump told the UN.
Trump added: "We will only encourage super intelligence. We're going to encourage it, not rein it in. We're going to watch it closely through the Department of Justice. The United States leads the world in super intelligence, and we'll continue to do so safely and responsibly."
Trump has previously dismissed concerns about AI safety as a "hoax".
