"Looking for a Job After Retirement?"... Controversial Talk Between UK Prime Minister and Musk

Prime Minister Sunak's Interview-Style Talk Immediately After the 'AI Safety Summit'
"Criticism That the UK Prime Minister Clings to Corporate Power"

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under criticism for appearing overly submissive during a conversation with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.

On the 3rd (local time), The Guardian reported that Peter Kyle, Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology in the Labour Party shadow cabinet, the main opposition party, criticized, "'The AI Safety Summit' was an opportunity for the UK to lead the global discussion on regulating this new technology, but Prime Minister Sunak was distracted, keeping one eye on his future job."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left in the photo) and Elon Musk.
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Prime Minister Sunak rushed back to London after the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit' held the previous day at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, UK, to have an interview-style conversation with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

In the conversation, he praised Musk, saying, "Bill Gates said there is no one in this era who has pushed the boundaries of science and innovation more than you," and after the event, as he stepped down from the stage, he patted Musk on the back and said inviting the world's richest person was an "immense privilege."

During this process, unlike the US and Europe, which have taken a strong stance against Musk's X and others, the UK Prime Minister was seen as excessively weak in front of corporate power.

Ian Dunt, a columnist for iNews, pointed out that at the event, Sunak wore an enthusiastic smile and leaned forward in his seated posture to curry favor with Musk. He also said that Sunak clung to Musk as if he were a rock star and embarrassed the entire country. He criticized it as the greatest national humiliation since Brexit and said it was difficult to watch.

The Guardian also reported the previous day, "Currently, polls show the Conservative Party is very likely to lose, and perhaps Sunak's future may be working at X (formerly Twitter)."

The conversation between Prime Minister Sunak and Musk was held in a gilded room inside Lancaster House, which the UK uses for diplomatic events. Unusually, TV cameras were not allowed, and the Prime Minister's Office released its own video. Some journalists observed but were not given the opportunity to ask questions.

Prime Minister Sunak studied at Stanford University in Silicon Valley, USA, and is known to have a strong interest in IT technology companies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.