UK to host the AI Safety Summit 2023 on November 1

Introduction

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is set to host the AI Safety Summit 2023 on 1^st and 2^nd November at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire. This summit brings together global leaders, AI experts and industry representatives to discuss the growing concerns surrounding the safety of advanced AI technologies and the need for international cooperation to address these concerns.

Significance of Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park, known for its historic role in British Enigma codebreaking during World War II, is chosen as the summit’s location. It is a place with a rich history in computer science development.

Key Objectives of AI Safety Summit 2023

The UK Government has outlined five key objectives for the AI Safety Summit 2023:

Building a Common Understanding: The summit seeks to establish a shared understanding of the risks associated with Frontier AI and the necessity for global action to address them.
International Collaboration: It aims to initiate a process for international collaboration on Frontier AI safety, including support for national and international frameworks.
Proposing Measures: The summit will propose appropriate measures for organizations to enhance Frontier AI safety, promoting responsible development.
Collaborative Research: Identifying areas for potential collaboration on AI safety research, including evaluating AI model capabilities and creating new standards to support governance.
Showcasing AI’s Potential Potential: The summit will highlight how ensuring the safe development of AI can be a force for good on a global scale.

Agenda of the Summit

The two-day summit has a packed agenda:

Day1:

Novel Challenge of Frontier AI: Discussing the unique challenges and risk posed by advanced AI models.
Combating Misuse: Exploring measures to prevent misuse by malicious actors.
Responsible Scaling: Discussions on the direction of AI development and how to scale Frontier AI responsibly.

Day2:

Smaller Group Discussions: Focused conversations among governments, companies and experts on addressing emerging AI risks.

Global Leaders and Attendees of the AI Safety Summit 2023

Prominent figures expected to attend include Vice-President Kamala Harris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology Wu Zhaohui is also expected to be present.

Experts like Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, who are considered “godfathers” of Modern AI, will attend. They have expressed concerns about the rapid development of AI and its potential risks.

Concerns of AI Pioneers

Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, influential figures in the field of AI, express concerns about the rapid development of AI and its potential risks, comparing it to nuclear weapons and pandemics.
Yann LeCun, another influential AI figure, considers about AI causing harm to humanity as “preposterous.”

Impact on UK’s AI Regulation Approach

The UK’s approach to regulating AI has been characterized by a pro-innovation strategy that relies on sector-specific regulators using existing laws to implement principles like safety, fairness and accountability. However, the AI Safety Summit could potentially influence the UK’s approach to regulation in several ways:

Specific Domestic Regulation: The summit may lead the UK to consider the specific domestic regulations, either exclusively targeting Frontier AI models or more broadly applicable to AI technology.
Bridging Regulatory Approaches: Another possibility is that the UK could position itself as a bridge between the EU’s rules-based approach, embodied in the EU AI Act and the decentralized approach of other nations, such as the United States. This approach may seek to find a middle ground to balance innovation with safety.

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