Yvette Cooper warns AI poses 'Hiroshima-style threat to humanity' without global rules

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Jul 6, 2026 - 07:42

Yvette Cooper warns AI poses 'Hiroshima-style threat to humanity' without global rules

Artificial intelligence poses a "Hiroshima-like risk" to humanity if not regulated properly, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned.

Ms Cooper urged superpowers the US and China to agree on international regulation on AI, believing the tech debate will be at the forefront of foreign policy over the next few years.

The Foreign Secretary also said the world was encountering a dangerous moment, referencing the US's withdrawal as "guarantor of global security" and more active conflicts than any year since 1945.

In an essay for the think tank Chatham House, Ms Cooper wrote: "The world is more dangerous than it has been for decades, and families across the United Kingdom are feeling the impact."

On AI she drew parallels between the technology and nuclear weapons, writing: "There are clear parallels with the international consensus the UK helped to build around nuclear safety after the Second World War."

She noted nuclear agreement only came after the world saw its power when the US bombed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Ms Cooper implied AI could follow the same pattern unless world leaders do not act pre-emptively.

Placing the UK as a broker to AI consensus, the Foreign Secretary said the 2023 Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit was proof "the UK can rally the world on AI Security".