Leaders, experts and entrepreneurs gather to discuss the risks and benefits of AI
Britain is hosting the world’s first global artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit at Bletchley Park, the historic site where British code-breakers cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma cipher during World War Two. The summit, which is taking place on November 1-2, 2023, aims to examine the risks and benefits of the fast-growing technology and kickstart an international dialogue on regulation and governance of AI.
The summit is the brainchild of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who wants to carve out a role for Britain as an intermediary between the economic blocs of the United States, China and the European Union. The 100-strong guest list includes world leaders, tech executives like Elon Musk and ChatGPT boss Sam Altman, and academics for the event.
Britain’s technology minister Michelle Donelan said “the right people with the right expertise” would be around the table to discuss how to mitigate the risks of AI. She said Britain was well-positioned to lead the conversation, given its history of innovation and its strong ethical standards.
The focus is on ‘frontier AI’ that could outsmart humans
The summit focuses on highly capable general-purpose models called “frontier AI”, which could potentially surpass human intelligence and have unpredictable and potentially harmful consequences. Some of the topics on the agenda are how AI systems might be used by terrorists to build bioweapons, how to ensure human oversight and control over AI decisions, and how to prevent AI from creating social and economic inequalities.
The summit also aims to explore the positive aspects of AI, such as its potential to solve global challenges like climate change, health care and education. The participants will share best practices and showcase some of the latest innovations in AI research and development.
China is a key participant amid concerns over its AI ambitions
China will be a key participant in the summit, given its role in developing and deploying AI technology. China has set a goal of becoming a global leader in AI by 2030, and has invested heavily in AI research, education and infrastructure. China has also applied AI in various domains, such as surveillance, military, health care and entertainment.
However, some lawmakers in Britain have raised concerns over China’s presence at the summit, citing its human rights violations and lack of transparency in its AI development. They have also questioned how much influence Britain can wield when the United States, the Group of Seven industrialised nations and the European Union are pushing other initiatives, some of which are advanced.
The U.S. ambassador to Britain, Jane Hartley, said the AI conversation should be global, but added that the invitation to China had come from London. “This is the UK invitation, this is not the U.S.,” she told Reuters. “When the UK government was talking to us, we said it’s your summit. So if you want to invite them, invite them”.
Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry Francois-Philippe Champagne said AI would not be constrained by national borders, and therefore interoperability between different regulations being put in place was important. “The risk is that we do too little, rather than too much, given the evolution and speed with which things are going,” he told Reuters.
The summit hopes to set a roadmap for future cooperation on AI
The summit hopes to produce a joint statement or declaration that will set out some common principles and goals for future cooperation on AI safety. The statement will also outline some concrete actions that can be taken by governments, companies and researchers to ensure that AI is developed and used in a responsible and beneficial way.
The summit is expected to be followed by further meetings and dialogues among different stakeholders and groups. The aim is to build trust and consensus on how to address the challenges and opportunities posed by AI, and to foster a global community that can work together to shape the future of this technology.
