January 14, 2025

Downing Street seeks global consensus on AI risks.

3 min read

The wording will form the communiqué for the upcoming AI summit next month, where achieving consensus on an organization to oversee technology scrutiny is doubtful.

Advisors to Rishi Sunak are striving to secure agreement among global leaders for a statement addressing concerns about artificial intelligence as they finalize the agenda for the imminent AI safety summit next month. Downing Street officials have been in discussions with counterparts from China, the EU, and the US on a global scale to negotiate the language for a communique during the two-day conference. However, the likelihood of establishing a new international organization to oversee cutting-edge AI remains low, despite the UK’s interest in expanding the government’s AI taskforce’s global influence.

Sunak’s AI summit aims to generate a statement addressing the risks linked to AI models, provide an update on safety guidelines facilitated by the White House, and conclude with discussions among “like-minded” nations on overseeing the most hazardous variants of this technology by national security agencies.

The potential for international collaboration regarding advanced AI with risks to human safety will also be a topic of conversation on the summit’s final day, scheduled for November 1st and 2nd at Bletchley Park, as outlined in a draft agenda obtained by The Guardian.

The preliminary agenda includes the formation of an “AI Safety Institute” to facilitate the examination of advanced AI models with national security implications.

However, the representative for the prime minister’s summit downplayed the creation of such an organization last week, emphasizing the pivotal role of “collaboration” in effectively addressing risks linked to advanced AI.

In a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, Matt Clifford stated, “The focus is not on establishing a singular new international institution. Our perspective is that most nations will seek to cultivate their own capacities in this domain, particularly for assessing cutting-edge models.

The UK is currently leading in frontier AI advancements, with a taskforce led by tech entrepreneur Ian Hogarth. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden expressed hope last month that the taskforce could evolve into a lasting institutional framework, providing international expertise in AI safety.

Clifford revealed last week that the summit is expected to host around 100 attendees, representing a diverse group that includes cabinet ministers from various countries, CEOs of companies, academics, and representatives from international civil society.

The draft agenda details the schedule for the summit’s first day, featuring a three-track discussion: an examination of risks associated with frontier AI models, strategies for mitigating those risks, and exploration of opportunities arising from these models. Following these discussions, a brief communique will be drafted for endorsement by country delegations, signifying a shared understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with frontier AI models.

Companies participating in the summit, including entities such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, are expected to disclose their adherence to AI safety commitments established in July in partnership with the White House. These commitments encompass external security testing of AI models before their release and ongoing scrutiny of these systems once they are in operation.

As reported by Politico recently, the White House is currently revising the voluntary commitments, with a specific focus on safety, cybersecurity, and the potential utilization of AI systems for national security purposes. An official announcement regarding these updates may be anticipated later this month.

The second day of the summit, as outlined in the draft agenda, will host a smaller group of approximately 20 participants, primarily composed of “like-minded” countries. The discussions will revolve around the trajectory of AI in the next five years and the positive opportunities it presents in alignment with sustainable development goals. This will also encompass conversations regarding the establishment of a safety institute.

In a series of posts on X, Clifford underscored the UK’s keen interest in collaborating with other nations on the topic of AI safety. He emphasized the crucial role of collaboration in effectively addressing the risks posed by Frontier AI, highlighting the importance of working with civil society, academics, technical experts, and other countries.

A government spokesperson commented, stating, “We have explicitly indicated that these discussions will involve exploring potential collaborative initiatives in AI safety research, covering assessment and standardization. Ongoing international dialogues in this field are already underway, demonstrating positive progress, including discussions on cross-country and cross-firm collaboration, as well as engagement with technical experts for the evaluation of advanced AI models. There are various avenues to explore, and we look forward to facilitating these discussions in November during the summit.

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