The world’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies promised to develop technology safely at the start of the two-day AI summit in South Korea. Companies also agreed to stop developing their technology if the most threatening risks cannot be avoided.
The conference, co-hosted by Britain and South Korea, involves 16 AI companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and China's Zhipu.ai. More specific agreements are expected to form as leaders gather to understand both the risks and the benefits of AI. Discussions are centered around accountable governance and transparency to the public.
"These commitments ensure the world's leading AI companies will provide transparency and accountability on their plans to develop safe AI," U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement released by Britain's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The leaders of the world’s seven largest democracies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain, have been invited to the opening summit, along with the leaders of Australia and Singapore.
South Korea’s presidential office says China will send a representative to the in-person ministerial summit that will convene Wednesday.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Sunak will meet with other world leaders, industry leaders, and heads of international organizations virtually on Tuesday evening. Wang Yun-Jong, a deputy director of national security in South Korea, said to reporters on Monday that the recent conference agenda has been expanded beyond the first AI Safety Summit in Britain. Members will "discuss not only the risks posed by AI but also its positive aspects and how it can contribute to humanity in a balanced manner,” he said.
Six months ago, representatives from nearly 30 countries met at the first AI Safety Summit in Britain’s iconic Bletchley Park and pledged to cooperate on mitigating the risks posed by artificial intelligence. Bletchley Park was the base of Britain’s legendary program to break the secret codes of the Nazi armed forces during World War II.
The current summit follows governments now trying to regulate AI, concerned by the threat of disinformation and decreased job security. Generative AI models can create “deepfake” images and videos of politicians that spread fake news stories to the public.
"Since the digital space is hyper-connected and transcends national borders, we need digital norms at the global level," said South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
