What Can It Achieve? By Reuters

By Martin Coulter

LONDON – This week, Britain will host the inaugural global artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit aimed at addressing the risks posed by this rapidly evolving technology and initiating an international dialogue on its regulation.

Scheduled for November 1-2 at Bletchley Park in southern England, the site where British code-breakers operated during World War II, the summit is set to bring together a diverse group of attendees.

Who Will Attend?

Organizers have indicated that approximately 100 individuals will be present, including world leaders, executives from technology companies, academics, and representatives from nonprofits. However, the complete guest list has not been disclosed.

Notably, some world leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will not be attending. In contrast, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, China’s tech vice minister Wu Zhaohui, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have confirmed their participation.

China’s involvement at the summit reflects a warming of diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, following a visit by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to Beijing in August—his first trip there in five years.

High-profile figures from prominent AI companies will also be in attendance, including Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind, and Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI. Representatives from major Chinese tech firms, along with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, will also participate.

Academics and nonprofit organizations, which have voiced concerns about the implications of AI advancement, will play a significant role. Notable attendees will include AI pioneers Stuart Russell and Geoffrey Hinton, alongside representatives from the Alan Turing Institute and the Future of Life Institute.

What Will Be Discussed?

The summit aims to ignite a global conversation regarding the future regulation of AI. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive global regulations concerning AI safety, although individual governments have begun developing their own frameworks. For example, the European Union has proposed initial legislation concerning AI use in the region.

The summit’s agenda includes a series of roundtable discussions addressing various potential threats associated with future AI developments. Key topics will cover the risks of AI systems being weaponized by cybercriminals, the potential for terrorists to exploit the technology for bioweapons development, and the hypothetical scenario of AI gaining sentience and causing chaos.

Experts and regulators are divided on prioritizing these threats, with the European Union’s anticipated AI Act focusing on potential violations of human rights, such as privacy concerns, juxtaposed against the existential risks that will feature prominently in summit discussions.

Why Now and in the UK?

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak aims to position the UK as a global leader in AI safety, seeking to establish a role in the post-Brexit landscape amid competition from the U.S., China, and the European Union.

The summit follows nearly a year since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, which spurred extensive global discourse regarding the consequences of rapidly advancing technology, leading to comparisons with challenges like climate change and nuclear proliferation.

What Will the Summit Accomplish?

As the summit concludes on Thursday, Sunak is expected to deliver a speech outlining the key agreements reached by participants, followed by a live discussion with Musk that will be broadcast publicly.

Reports suggest that Sunak plans to unveil a global advisory board for AI regulation, modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since the summit’s announcement in June, scrutiny has emerged over Britain’s capacity to spearhead a global initiative on AI regulation.

In recent months, U.S. President Joe Biden has enacted an executive order on AI governance, the EU has made strides towards finalizing its AI Act, and the G7 countries have established a code of conduct for AI-related businesses.

Additionally, the UN announced the formation of its own AI advisory board, consisting of experts from industry, research, and various governments.

Advocates for AI regulation believe Britain has a distinctive role to play as a mediator among the major power blocs—the U.S., EU, and China—and hope the summit will be a catalyst for ongoing international dialogue on AI safety and regulation.