Was the first international summit on AI safety an important stepping stone towards ensuring safe and productive AI for all? A political opportunity for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to position his government as a global leader in the field? Or a show put on to convince us all that international tech giants can be trusted to act responsibly as they roll out increasingly powerful AI tools?The focus of the event, which was attended by delegations from over 30 countries and leaders from tech...
Stuart Russell, Professor of AI at the University of California, Berkley, told his audience,"AI is the most powerful technology ever created and like any powerful technology, it can be used for good or evil. It is essential we develop AI safety measures to prevent it from being misused." Vice Minister Wu Zhaohui told the conference,"We call for global collaborations to share knowledge and make AI technologies available to the public."One of the most anticipated events wasn’t part of the official agenda, as Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk came together for a live-streamed interview following the conference’s conclusion.
But describing the role of government, he said, “We’ve learned over the years that having a referee is a good thing,” and that the government's role could be as"a referee to make sure we have sportsman-like conduct, and the public safety is addressed.” As the host nation, the UK was the first to put its money where its mouth is, announcing the formation of an officialThe declaration itself, though fairly wordy for something agreed by 28 countries less than a day after the event started, mainly reiterates points that those advocating for AI safety have been raising for some time. These include the need for AI to be “trustworthy, human-centric and responsible.