US and UK Hold First Comprehensive Dialogue on Technology and Data

The United States and the United Kingdom held their inaugural meeting for the U.S-U.K. Comprehensive Dialogue on Technology and Data on Thursday. 

The dialogue, which was first announced in October last year, focused on three areas: data; critical and emerging technologies; and secure and resilient digital infrastructure.

Each nation was represented by two leading officials, namely: the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, Grant Harris; U.S. Department of State’s Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, Nathaniel Fick; U.K. Department of Digital Culture, Media and Sport’s Director General for Digital and Media Policy, Susannah Storey; and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s Director of Technology & Analysis Directorate, Chris Jones. 

According to the announcement, the nations identified the following tasks for this year: 

• Engage in global trusted data workflows, such as multilateral discussions with the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum.
• Establish and implement a data bridge for data to flow between the two nations.
• Support “open, interoperable, reliable and secure telecommunication systems” like open radio access networks––or Open RAN––and create a complementary and collaborative telecommunications research and development method.
• Discuss next-generation technologies in the 6 GHz band that are exempt from licenses.
• Promote the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s new Global Forum on Technology to support shared goals and visions to expand partnerships that will make sure “technology is designed, developed and deployed, in a way that reflects our values.”
• Find opportunities for the U.S. and U.K. semiconductor industry to cooperate on skills, investments and R&D. 
• Bolster the nations’ collaboration on the development of artificial intelligence standards and tools for trustworthy AI, such as joint research, information sharing and commercial cooperation.

The officials will review progress on a quarterly basis and determine future areas of technology and data on which to cooperate.

The next dialogue will occur in January 2024.