Prime Minister met the CEOs of OpenAI, Google
DeepMind, and Anthropic today to discuss joint action to ensure
the development of safe and responsible Artificial Intelligence
and how to establish the right approach to governance for the
next technological frontier. The Secretary of State for Science,
Innovation and Technology, , also joined the meeting.
The PM made clear that AI is the defining technology of our time,
with the potential to positively transform humanity.
But the success of this technology is founded on having the right
guardrails in place, so that the public can have confidence that
AI is used in a safe and responsible way. The PM set out how the
approach to AI regulation will need to keep pace with the
fast-moving advances in this technology. That is why the UK
Government has deliberately adopted an agile response to unlock
the opportunities whilst mitigating the risks of the technology,
as outlined in our AI White Paper.
The potential impacts of AI transcend borders and have
implications for the world economy. He outlined that AI safety
will increasingly be an international endeavour – as agreed at
the G7 – with the UK well placed to lead the international
discussion regarding the measures and guardrails that are needed.
This work would build on the UK’s engagement already underway
through other international forums.
The PM and CEOs discussed the risks of the technology, ranging
from disinformation and national security, to existential
threats. They discussed safety measures, voluntary actions that
labs are considering to manage the risks, and the possible
avenues for international collaboration on AI safety and
regulation. The lab leaders agreed to work with the UK Government
to ensure our approach responds to the speed of innovations in
this technology both in the UK and around the globe.
The PM spoke about the UK Government’s ambitions to advance
capability in AI and harness AI’s potential to deliver better
outcomes for the British public, with emerging opportunities in a
range of areas to improve public services. The CEOs agreed to
work closely with the Foundation Model Taskforce, which is backed
by an initial £100m of start-up funding, to deliver this. The
Taskforce will advance approaches to AI safety which will inform
international approaches.
AI will improve life dramatically, from transforming industries
to delivering scientific breakthroughs. The PM and CEOs committed
to work together to ensure society benefits from such
transformation.
