WASHINGTON, D.C. — Britain will host key players for a summit on artificial intelligence in the fall as Rishi Sunak seeks to position the U.K. as a power broker on the subject.

Confirming plans for a conference first reported by POLITICO last week, British officials argued the U.K. would be “well-placed” to convene discussions on the future of AI.

They cited Britain’s departure from the EU as allowing the U.K. to act quickly in response to a rapidly changing market. Ministers want to carve a path between strict EU regulations and the lighter touch U.S. approach.

Sunak, who is expected to discuss the topic when he meets President Joe Biden Thursday, hailed AI as having “an incredible potential to transform our lives” but stressed “the need to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure.”

Downing Street did not say which countries or companies would attend the talks but the prime minister’s spokesman said Sunak was seeking to bring together “like-minded” nations, noting that the prime minister has discussed the issue with all G7 members.

The spokesperson denied they were trying to set up an alliance against China and Russia.

Sunak fielded questions en route to Washington about his ambitions to helm AI diplomacy and whether they were realistic. He shot back that “this mid-size country happens to be a global leader in AI” and insisted “you would be hard pressed to find many other countries other than the U.S. in the western world with more expertise and talent in AI.”

Speaking to POLITICO on the plane, he acknowledged “we need to make sure that we protect the country from the risks that it poses as well.”

He said the government was working to put “guardrails” in place, reflecting concerns from AI leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, whom Sunak recently brought together for a meeting in Downing Street.

Sunak later suggested he’d be happy for a robot to teach his children or care for his grandmother. When asked about AI’s potential use to perform the jobs of teachers and carers, he told ITV, “Technology for our time has improved our lives and will continue to do so.”

At the same time as the summit was trailed, U.S. tech giant Palantir announced it will open its new European HQ for AI development in the U.K. Sunak is due to meet founder Alexander Karp at a baseball game on his Washington trip.

Some data specialists have warned against the rollout of Palantir’s software across the NHS, as the firm vies for a £480mn contract to build the UK health service’s operating system.  

The PM’s spokesman said: “NHS data will always be very closely protected.”