New Delhi [India], February 20 : Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy shared the stage at the British High Commission in New Delhi, blending humour, shared heritage and discussion on AI during a fireside chat.
Introducing Sunak, Lammy said," I know that former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is not just a great son of the United Kingdom, he is also a great son of India."
Sunak promptly interjected, saying, "Son-in-law", drawing laughter from the audience, as Lammy responded with "Son-in-Law!"
David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, highlighted his Indian heritage, mentioning his great-grandmother was from Calcutta, as he praised his friendship with former UK PM Rishi Sunak.
Lammy went on to underline his own India connection." I just want to establish my heritage too, because my great-grandmother on my mother's side was from Calcutta," he said.
Lammy emphasised their ability to work together despite political differences, focusing on shared goals for the UK and globally.
Highlighting their cross-party cooperation despite being on different sides of the political aisle in the UK, Lammy said," Whilst we are on different sides of the political aisle, we can work together and have been friends for many years."
He added it had been "One of the great pleasures in recent years to join former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on our shared goal to do much better both in the United Kingdom and globally on prostate cancer, and it's a pleasure to work with him on that cross-party issue."
Turning to artificial intelligence, Lammy referenced Sunak's decision to convene the first global AI Summit at Bletchley Park." You kicked off the first global summit, um, in Bletchley Park. Um, it's an issue that you cared about then. Why did you decide that it was something that you were going to use your platform to signal to the world that this is important? And how do you think that story's going?" he asked.
Lammy's comments came amid discussions on strengthening UK-India relations, with potential areas of cooperation including trade, technology, and security. The UK and India have been exploring ways to deepen their strategic partnership, building on historical ties and shared values.
Responding, Sunak began by thanking Lammy for the introduction and greeting the audience, setting the tone for a discussion centred on AI's global significance and the UK-India partnership in emerging technologies.
Earlier, Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday called India the ideal venue for shaping the future of artificial intelligence (AI), and said there was "no better place" to deliberate on the global AI transformation, highlighting the country's digital public infrastructure, innovation ecosystem and public optimism around the technology.
While addressing the AI Impact Summit as a keynote Speaker here, he said India was uniquely positioned to drive the next phase of AI's global journey, not just for developed nations, but for the developing world as well.
"We do need a regular forum, where we can all meet and discuss this technology, and that is what this Summit provides under Prime Modi's leadership. This summit will deliver impact; it will show us how we can make AI work, not just for the developed world but for the developing world too," Sunak said.
"There is no better place to discuss this AI transformation than India," Sunak said, adding that the summit would show how AI can improve health and education "in every corner of the globe" and enhance human dignity.
Recalling that he launched the first AI Leaders' Summit in 2023 at Bletchley Park, Sunak said the idea was to create a global forum bringing together Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEOs, CTOs and developers to ensure that artificial intelligence evolves in favour of humanity.
"We committed ourselves to an AI future that worked for humanity," he said, noting that safety was placed at the forefront from the beginning. He added that frontier labs are now working with the UK's AI Security Institute to test models before deployment to ensure safety standards.
However, Sunak emphasised that AI safety and AI progress go hand in hand. According to him, public trust will ultimately determine AI's success, particularly in the public sector, where citizens can directly experience faster services, better healthcare and simpler government interactions.
"The debate about AI becomes real rather than abstract when people see tangible improvements in their lives," he said.
Highlighting the unprecedented speed of AI adoption, Sunak pointed out that while the telephone took 75 years to reach 100 million users, the internet took seven years, and 'ChatGPT' reached that milestone in just two months.
"From the invention of the telephone, it took around 75 years to get to 100 million users; it took the PC 15 years, the internet 7 years, so how long did it take ChatGPT, two months," he said, adding, "We do need a regular forum where we can meet and discuss this technology."
Placing India at the centre of the global AI narrative, Sunak praised the country's digital public infrastructure, including Aadhaar, UPI and Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts, as foundational systems capable of delivering AI-powered services to 1.4 billion people.
"The India Stack has shown people how technology can benefit them in their everyday lives," he said, adding that Indians are among the world's most prolific users of mobile data and AI tools and are the second-largest contributors to AI projects globally.
He also lauded India's vibrant startup ecosystem, noting that the country has produced over 125 unicorns, with companies such as 'Sarvam AI' emerging as leaders in the space.
Referring to India's culture of frugal innovation, Sunak said it enables ambitious achievements at lower costs, citing the country's space missions as an example. He stressed that public confidence is critical for AI adoption and observed that, unlike growing pessimism in parts of the West, nearly nine out of ten Indians remain optimistic about AI.
"All of this is why, in the latest Stanford University ranking of global AI powers, India has overtaken the UK into the medal places," Sunak said, underscoring India's rising stature in the global AI landscape.