Countries pledge AI safety cooperation at UK summit

Delegates from 28 nations agreed on Wednesday to cooperate on artificial intelligence safety and work together to contain the potential risks posed by galloping advances in the technology.

The first international AI Safety Summit, held at Bletchley Park, the birthplace of the world's first programmable digital electronic computer, in London, focused on cutting-edge "frontier" AI that some scientists warn could pose a risk to humanity's very existence.

In the agreement, dubbed the Bletchley Declaration, the countries pledged to work toward "shared agreement and responsibility" about AI risks, and hold a series of further meetings. South Korea will hold a mini virtual AI summit in six months, followed by an in-person one in France a year from now.

Wu Zhaohui, China's vice-minister of science and technology, spoke at the opening plenary session of the summit on Wednesday, and the Chinese delegation participated in discussions on AI safety and other issues.

Wu introduced to the audience the Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative proposed by China during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October.

He stressed that all parties should uphold a people-centered approach in developing AI for good, and strengthen the risk management of the emerging technology based on the principle of respect and mutual benefit.

In order to close the digital gap in technology development, the representation of developing countries should be encouraged, and the Global South should have more say in the governance of AI, Wu added.

The Chinese delegation urged all sides to enhance the representation of developing countries in the global governance of AI, and constantly bridge the intelligence gap and governance capacity gap.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the declaration reached was "a landmark achievement that sees the world's greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI, helping ensure the long-term future of our children and grandchildren".

Funding announced

A raft of funding was announced by the United Kingdom government ahead of the gathering, which included a 118 million pound ($143 million) program to ensure the UK workforce is prepared for a world that will be increasingly dominated by AI.

The spending will be used for skills training to make sure workers are "future-proofed".

Michelle Donelan, the UK's secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said the UK is moving further and faster to put the power of this technology to work for good across government and society.

Donelan said the investment will guarantee the UK "has the top global expertise, and fosters the next generation of researchers needed to seize the transformational benefits of this technology".

In addition to government officials, many notable figures from the field of AI attended the summit, including Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Appearing on a podcast run by comedian Joe Rogan on Tuesday, Musk said AI could, if programmed by environmentalists, decide humans are a problem in need of eradication.

"If you start thinking that humans are bad, then the natural conclusion is humans should die out," he said. "If AI gets programmed by the extinctionists, its utility function will be the extinction of humanity … they won't even think it's bad." Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.