Image source, EPA

By Jessica Parker & Zoe Kleinman

BBC News

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may turn down his invitation to a major UK summit on artificial intelligence, the BBC understands.

The government is hosting an event aimed at tech leaders, academics and political leaders to discuss AI safety on 1 November.

The agenda will focus on specific future threats posed by the rapidly evolving tech, such as cyber security.

Britain has mooted setting up a global AI watchdog to monitor developments.

While no guest list has been published of an expected 100 participants, some within the sector say it's unclear if the event will attract top leaders.

A government source insisted the summit is garnering "a lot of attention" at home and overseas.

The two-day meeting is due to bring together leading politicians as well as independent experts and senior execs from the tech giants, who are mainly US based.

The first day will bring together tech companies and academics for a discussion chaired by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan.