Government officials and AI industry officials agreed Tuesday to apply rudimentary safety measures to the rapidly changing field and establish an international safety research network.
Nearly six months after the first global summit on AI safety was held in Bletchley Park, England, the UK and South Korea are hosting an AI Safety Summit in Seoul this week. The gathering highlights the new challenges and opportunities facing the world with the advent of AI technology.
The British government announced Tuesday a new agreement between 10 countries and the European Union to establish an international network similar to the UK's AI Safety Research Institute, the world's first publicly funded body, to accelerate advances in AI safety science. The network will foster a common understanding of AI safety and align work on research, standards, and testing. Australia, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States have signed the agreement.
On the first day of the AI Summit in Seoul, global leaders and leading AI companies gathered in a virtual meeting chaired by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol to discuss AI safety, innovation, and inclusion.
During the discussion, the leaders agreed to the broader Seoul Declaration, strengthening international cooperation in building AI to address key global challenges, uphold human rights and bridge the digital divide globally, while also calling for 'human-centricity, trust and , emphasized that ‘responsibility’ is a priority. ”
“AI is a very exciting technology and the UK has been leading global efforts to address its potential, including hosting the world’s first AI Safety Summit last year,” Sunak said in a UK government statement. “But to get the benefits, you have to ensure safety. That’s why we’re pleased to have signed an agreement today for our AI Safety Lab Network.”
Last month, the UK and US signed a partnership memorandum of understanding to collaborate on research, safety assessments and guidance on AI safety.
This contract announced today is the world's first AI safety promise from 16 AI-related companies, including Amazon, Anthropic, Cohere, Google, IBM, Inflection AI, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, Open AI, Samsung Electronics, Technology Innovation Institute, and xAi. It follows. and Zhipu.ai. (Zhipu.ai is a Chinese company backed by Alibaba, Ant, and Tencent.)
AI companies, including those from the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates, have agreed to a safety pledge “not to develop or deploy models or systems at all if mitigation measures cannot keep the risk below a threshold.” According to a UK government statement.
“This is a world first where so many leading AI companies from different parts of the world have all agreed to the same commitment to AI safety,” Sunak said. “This commitment ensures that the world’s leading AI companies can provide transparency and accountability in their plans to develop safe AI.”
