Rishi Sunak, Announced the establishment of the AI Safety
Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister has announced the establishment of the AI Safety Institute during the AI Safety Summit held in Bletchley this week. This institute aims to become a permanent global hub based in the UK, responsible for evaluating the safety of emerging AI technologies. The initiative, backed by a Frontier AI taskforce created earlier this year, underscores the UK’s ambition to assume a leadership role in shaping future AI policy.
The AI Safety Institute, informally introduced in the lead-up to the summit, will be led by Ian Hogarth, an investor, founder, and engineer who also chaired the taskforce. Notably, Yoshua Bengio, a prominent figure in the AI field, will lead the production of the institute’s inaugural report.
The specifics of government funding for the AI Safety Institute remain undisclosed, and it is uncertain whether industry players will share the financial responsibility. Although the institute is described as being “backed by leading AI companies,” this support might pertain more to endorsement than financial contributions. We have contacted the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) for further information and will update as we receive more details.
The unveiling of the AI Safety Institute coincides with the introduction of the Bletchley Declaration, a new agreement signed by all summit attendees. This declaration commits countries to collaborate on comprehensive safety assessments and risk evaluations for “frontier AI” technologies, including large language models.
Prime Minister Sunak emphasized the importance of collective safety assessments, noting, “Until now, the only entities assessing the safety of new AI models have been the companies that develop them.” In response to criticism of the UK’s slow progress in regulating AI, Sunak argued that regulating AI is premature. He stated, “The rapid pace of technological development necessitates governments to ensure they can keep up. Legislation should follow a comprehensive understanding of what needs to be regulated.”
While transparency is a key objective in addressing the challenges of AI technology, the discussions during day two of the Bletchley summit did not fully embody this principle. The day’s focus included plenary sessions attended by CEOs from leading AI companies and government officials. Dignitaries present included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and other international leaders.
Despite China’s prominent role on the first day, it was conspicuously absent from the closed plenary sessions on the second day. Elon Musk, the owner of X.ai (formerly known as Twitter), was also not in attendance. Nevertheless, a fireside chat between Musk and Sunak was scheduled for the evening on Musk’s social platform, with the unique aspect that it would not be broadcasted live.
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