Safety Declaration Signed At First International AI Safety Summit
Photo Credit: Alistair Grant/AP via CBC
The United Kingdom government hosted the first international artificial intelligence safety summit in Bletchley Park on Nov. 1 and 2. According to Beis Newsroom, the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “No country will be untouched by AI, and no country alone will solve the challenges posed by this technology. In our interconnected world, we must have an international approach.”
The location of Bletchley Park for the summit is significant, as that was where computer scientist Alan Turing led a group of codebreakers to crack Nazi Germany’s Enigma machine in 1941.
As reported on by Beis Newsroom, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “To fully embrace the extraordinary opportunities of artificial intelligence, we must grip and tackle the risks to ensure it develops safely in the years ahead.”
The safety of humanity was a major focus, as the summit sought to address two concerns: misuse and loss of control of “frontier AI”. Misuse is using the new AI capabilities to further harmful acts, whereas loss of control is when AI can be used against humans.
The summit attendees included Microsoft President Brad Smith, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, Meta AI chief Yann LeCun, and Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg. Over two dozen countries, including Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, were represented. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also present.
During the summit, 28 countries and the European Union signed the Bletchley Declaration on AI Safety, which outlines the “urgent need to understand and collectively manage potential risks through a new joint global effort.”
According to CTV News, Sunak described the declaration as “a landmark achievement that sees the world's greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI -- helping ensure the long-term future of our children and grandchildren”.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was present at the summit, said that Britain and other countries need to act faster and more decisively. According to CTV News, Harris believes tech companies need to be held accountable through legislation.
In her speech at the US Embassy, Harris argued that the world needs to address “the full spectrum” of AI risks, not just threats to humanity’s existence, like widespread cyberattacks or AI-created bioweapons. She believes “there are additional threats that also demand our action, threats that are currently causing harm and to many people also feel existential”.
It is also stated in the CTV News report that Sunak argued against legally regulating AI technology, with the reasoning that it needs to be understood fully before trying to regulate it. On the other hand, Harris believes “societal harms..are already happening such as bias, discrimination and the proliferation of misinformation,” which must be addressed.
There are more AI summits planned in the coming year. South Korea will host a mini virtual AI summit in six months, followed by France hosting an in-person summit in one year, according to the UK government.