# UK prime minister Burnham to highlight AI at UN, skips finnish safety testing call

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-09-22T10:20:05Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/uk-prime-minister-burnham-to-highlight-ai-at-un-skips-finnish-safety-t

## Summary

Downing Street briefed that Andy Burnham will make artificial intelligence a main theme of his New York visit, using the UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday evening to argue that AI should be harnessed to lower the cost of living and improve security.  The prime minister is expected to announce a new UK‑US AI and Autonomy partnership aimed at protecting critical national infrastructure, from sea lanes to airspace, by detecting threats with the latest AI technology developed on both sides of the Atlantic.

The press release suggests Burnham will stress AI’s role in counter‑ing Russian threats rather than backing the Finnish‑led proposal for compulsory pre‑deployment testing of frontier AI models.  Sam Coates of Sky News notes that Australia, Canada, Germany, the EU, Bahrain and Singapore have signed the Finnish call, but the UK has not.  Darren Jones, former chief secretary to the prime minister, urged the government to join the initiative, saying the UK has special access to American AI models through the AI Security Institute and could help broker an agreement with the United States.

## Key points

- Burnham will announce a UK‑US AI and Autonomy partnership at the UN.
- The UK has not signed the Finnish‑led call for compulsory frontier‑AI testing, unlike several allies.
- The UN speech will frame AI as a force for good to cut living‑costs and boost security.

## Why it matters

The stance signals how the UK will shape global AI governance, balancing partnership with the US against broader calls for safety testing of powerful models.

## Sources

1. [UK not ‘on the slide’, Burnham to tell UN as he gears up for first meeting with Trump](https://theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/sep/22/andy-burnham-donald-trump-un-general-assembly-uk-politics-latest-news) (The Guardian AI, 2026-09-22)

## Cite

Digest AI, "UK prime minister Burnham to highlight AI at UN, skips finnish safety testing call", 22 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/uk-prime-minister-burnham-to-highlight-ai-at-un-skips-finnish-safety-t

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