Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joked about Delhi's traffic congestion during his visit to the national capital on Friday. Sunak, who was attending a joint session with UK Deputy PM David Lammy at the British High Commission, apologised for the delay in reaching the venue.
"Sorry, we're a few minutes late, that's entirely my fault. AI can do many things, as we've heard this week, but it can't yet fix Delhi's traffic. So, work to do," he quipped.
Continuing in a lighter vein, Sunak pointed out that while India had "leapfrogged" the United Kingdom to get ahead in the field of artificial intelligence, England was in a better position in the ICC Test rankings, which he quipped was “more important.”
Rishi Sunak And David Lammy's Connection With India
During the event, Lammy introduced Rishi Sunak as the “son of India.” The Richmond and Northallerton MP was quick to correct him and say he was the “son-in-law.”
Lammy then proceeded to reveal that he also had a connection with the country, as his great-grandmother on his mother's side was from Calcutta (now Kolkata).
The Deputy Prime Minister of the UK also praised Sunak's decision to hold the first AI Summit at Bletchley Park when he was the Prime Minister.
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Rishi Sunak On India's Place In The AI Sector
Addressing the AI Impact Summit as a keynote speaker, Sunak called India an ideal venue for shaping the future of artificial intelligence. He said the Summit would showcase how artificial intelligence can transform not just developing nations, but the developed 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 explained.
"There is no better place to discuss this AI transformation than India," he added, explaining that the event would show how artificial intelligence can improve education and health services "in every corner of the globe".
Highlighting the speed of AI adoption, Sunak said that ChatGPT reached 100 million users in two months, while the telephone took 75 years and the internet seven years to reach the milestone.
The ex-UK Prime Minister highlighted India's digital public infrastructure, citing Aadhaar, Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts, and UPI as systems that can deliver artificial intelligence-powered services to over 1.4 billion people. Sunak also lauded India's vibrant startup ecosystem.
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