The United Kingdom plans new action against disinformation and clearer global rules for artificial intelligence. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the measures in his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly. He described recent years as an industrial-scale assault on the information environment. According to him, Russian agencies have used bots, fake websites, and falsified articles to spread lies. He said false information online helped spark riots in the town of Southport in 2024.
To respond, the UK will establish a National Centre for Information Defence. Its job is to detect, attribute, and disrupt information attacks. On artificial intelligence, Burnham announced a new defence partnership with the United States. He argued that fundamental decisions about AI must be made by elected governments, not left to chance. The UK will push for a single set of global principles and standards.