The UK intends to host the world’s first major global summit on AI safety this fall.
A press release published on 7th June 2023 by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is the latest move in a global drive towards controlling AI.
📢 The UK will host the first global summit on AI safety.
Acting as an international nexus, the UK will lead conversation on safe, responsible and regulated AI that could have the power to change lives for the better.
Find out more below🔽https://t.co/T4aNUrZenw pic.twitter.com/dQOYaVbxaC
— Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (@SciTechgovuk) June 8, 2023
AI has contributed to miraculous breakthroughs, such as enabling paralyzed individuals to walk and discovering superbug-killing antibiotics. However, its rapid evolution is leading the world into uncharted territory, triggering a series of high-profile warnings from leading AI leaders, academics, politicians, and public figures.
The summit will involve ‘like-minded’ countries, which led to accusations Sunak was attempting to form an ‘AI alliance’ against China and Russia.
The AI summit joins the G7’s Hiroshima AI framework, which seeks to establish unified and mutually agreed principles for AI governance by the end of the year.
Sunak ambitious about the UK’s AI future
Sunak has held a series of meetings with the CEOs of OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic. The PM is confident of the UK’s role in shaping AI regulation and development as one of 3 countries in the world with a tech sector worth more than $1tn, alongside the US and China.
The UK’s AI sector contributes £3.7bn to the economy and employs 50,000 people. OpenAI and Anthropic have both recently opened offices in London, and Palantir, a global leader in AI, announced the UK as its new European HQ.
“AI has incredible potential to transform our lives for the better. But we need to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure,” stated the Prime Minister.
The PM had previously announced £100m for the Foundation Model Taskforce, an expert team assembled to accelerate the UK’s innovation of advanced AI.
Sunak had previously discussed the UK hosting an AI ‘watchdog’ similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or becoming a “CERN for AI,” but these remain just ideas.
