UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to tackle fears surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) ahead of the world’s first AI safety summit next week.
The national speech from Sunak on Thursday (26 October), follows the publishing of a landmark AI paper from the UK government on the capabilities and risks the emerging tech holds. “AI will bring new knowledge, new opportunities for economic growth, new advances in human capability, and the chance to solve problems we once thought beyond us. But it also brings new dangers and new fears,” Sunak said. “The responsible thing for me to do is to address those fears head-on,” Sunak added, “giving you the peace of mind that we will keep you safe, while making sure you and your children have all the opportunities for a better future that AI can bring.” Sunak said he “genuinely believes that technology like artificial intelligence will bring a transformation as far reaching as the industrial revolution, the coming of electricity or the birth of the internet.” The speech follows a newly released report which claims that AI has the ability to help plan biological or chemical attacks by terrorists. Generative AI could be “used to assemble knowledge on physical attacks by non-state violent actors, including for chemical, biological and radiological weapons,” the report states. It could also make it harder to trust online content and increase the risk of cyber-attacks by 2025. The report, which is based mainly on generative AI, was made in part with declassified information from intelligence agencies. During his speech, the PM announced that the UK would be establishing “the world’s first AI safety institute”. “It will advance the world’s knowledge of AI safety and it will carefully examine, evaluate and test new types of AI so that we understand what each new model is capable of, exploring all the risks,” he said. Laura Petrone, analyst at research company GlobalData, said the UK was “adopting a cautious approach” in terms of AI regulation. “The EU and China have been the most active in envisaging regulatory frameworks and will likely set the standard for AI regulation over the next few years. The UK is not putting in place any statutory regulations for fear of stifling innovation,” she said. Adding: “Nonetheless, the UK must be part of the conversation around the standards and best practices on AI and AI safety, and next week’s summit would be a great chance to achieve just that.” Jaeger Glucina, MD and Chief of Staff at legal AI copilot Luminance, told Verdict that whilst risk and safety is important when talking about AI, fixation on these elements may mean the country risk’s missing out on the technology’s oppurtunites. “Only time will tell whether the Summit will simply provide an impressive photo opportunity for global lawmakers or a genuinely productive forum for regulatory discussion,” Glucina said. “Regardless, moving forward there must be a clear focus on how the UK can advance AI and ensure it represents an attractive place for AI businesses to start-up, grow and float,” she added.Rishi Sunak addresses existential AI threats ahead of UK safety summit
Rishi Sunak's speech follows the release of a landmark AI report from the UK government highlighting serious threats posed by the emerging tech.
Kurt Robson November 01 2023