“I think we can really do something in this space [that is] very significant,” Burnham said.

Burnham is due to meet Donald Trump for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday, and said he will assure the U.S. president that the U.K. will take a balanced approach on AI.

“I think you have to be clear-eyed about the huge benefits it can bring as well as recognizing where we do need to be careful,” Burnham said — noting that Trump has warned of risks from AI. The U.S. president has also branded existential warnings around the tech as a “HOAX.”

Burnham said warnings from AI company insiders have “made me pause” but said that he is determined to find a “sweet spot” on balancing the tech's benefits against its risks, and not turn into a “doom-monger about AI.”

The U.K.’s AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, has traveled with Burnham to New York, where No. 10 said AI would dominate diplomatic engagements.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday evening, Burnham is expected to call on countries to work together to harness AI for good and promise U.K. leadership on the issue.