No 10 fends off claims Rishi Sunak being snubbed over AI safety summit

Downing Street has insisted Rishi Sunak is not being snubbed by other world leaders, despite many of them not being expected to attend his summit on artificial intelligence at Bletchley Park this week. No 10 said the government was pleased with the responses it had had to invitations to the summit, which Sunak announced earlier this year as he strives to put the UK at the forefront of international AI regulation. But the prime minister is likely to be joined by relatively few of his international counterparts, with many sending more junior ministers or officials instead. Among those who have chosen not to attend are Joe Biden, the US president who is sending Kamala Harris, the vice-president, instead, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, is sending his science minister, François-Philippe Champagne, although may attend the second day virtually, sources have said.