UK’s Burnham, Canada’s Carney discuss AI risks, defence cooperation

UK and Canada explore AI risks, defence cooperation, and joint initiatives during a bilateral meeting in Liverpool.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham attend the League Cup football match between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, England, on September 16, 2026 [Paul Cooper/WPA Pool/Getty Images]

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held their first bilateral meeting to advance cooperation on defence and artificial intelligence, capped by an evening watching a football match together at Everton’s stadium in Liverpool.

The British Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday that the leaders agreed governments and the tech sector must partner to ensure online safety and counter the risks of AI.

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The meeting came days after Burnham’s spokesperson welcomed growing discussion among AI companies about the technology’s risks.

“It’s a good thing that the companies developing the most advanced AI systems are now talking openly about the risks as well as the opportunities,” the spokesperson for the British Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that policy decisions needed to be “grounded in evidence rather than speculation” and that existing regulatory frameworks may not remain sufficient as AI capabilities advance.

Neither the United Kingdom nor Canada currently has a dedicated law governing AI.

Britain has taken a “pro-innovation”, sector-led approach since releasing its policy paper in March 2023, empowering sectoral regulators to police AI rather than passing standalone legislation.

Canada’s own initiative, the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, lapsed when parliament was prorogued in January 2025. That procedural suspension cancelled all pending legislation, and the measure has not been revived.

The Canadian government currently relies on privacy law and a voluntary industry code instead.

On defence, discussions centred on reconciling competing British and Canadian blueprints for an allied military financing bank, against the backdrop of Canada applying to the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force and joining the Global Combat Air Programme as an observer.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that Canada become the EU’s first “ associate member ”, as Ottawa seeks closer ties with Europe amid trade tensions with the United States.

英国和加拿大在利物浦举行双边会晤，探讨人工智能风险、国防合作和联合倡议。

2026年9月16日，加拿大总理马克·卡尼和英国首相安迪·伯纳姆在英格兰利物浦观看埃弗顿队与狼队之间的联赛杯足球比赛。[Paul Cooper/WPA Pool/Getty Images]

英国首相安迪·伯纳姆和加拿大总理马克·卡尼举行了首次双边会晤，旨在推进在国防和人工智能领域的合作。会晤结束后，两人在利物浦埃弗顿体育场共同观看了一场足球比赛。

英国首相办公室周三发表声明称，各国领导人一致认为，政府和科技行业必须合作，以确保网络安全并应对人工智能带来的风险。

清单1/3：伯纳姆必须对英国在加沙种族灭绝中所扮演的角色展开调查

列表 2/3 卡尼访问欧洲：在中美贸易战中，加拿大能否寻求欧盟的庇护？

英国、美国和荷兰警告称，伊朗可能存在间谍软件（共3个名单中的第3个）。

此次会议召开的几天前，伯纳姆的发言人对人工智能公司之间日益增多的关于该技术风险的讨论表示欢迎。

英国首相办公室发言人表示：“开发最先进人工智能系统的公司现在公开谈论风险和机遇，这是一件好事。”他还补充说，政策决定需要“以证据为基础，而不是基于推测”，而且随着人工智能能力的进步，现有的监管框架可能不再足够。

英国和加拿大目前都没有专门针对人工智能的法律。

自 2023 年 3 月发布政策文件以来，英国一直采取“支持创新”的行业主导方针，赋予行业监管机构监管人工智能的权力，而不是通过独立的立法。

加拿大自己的《人工智能和数据法案》在2025年1月议会休会时失效。该程序性暂停取消了所有待决立法，该法案至今未恢复。

加拿大政府目前主要依靠隐私法和自愿性行业准则。

在国防方面，讨论的重点是协调英国和加拿大在盟军军事融资银行方面的相互竞争的蓝图，而加拿大则申请加入英国领导的联合远征军，并以观察员身份加入全球作战空中计划。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩提议加拿大成为欧盟第一个“联系成员国”，渥太华方面希望在与美国的贸易紧张局势下与欧洲建立更紧密的联系。