First Independent International AI Safety Report to become the
global handbook on AI safety, ahead of the France AI Action
Summit.
- First Independent International AI Safety Report to become the
global handbook on AI safety, ahead of the France
AI Action Summit
- Inspired by the UN's IPCC Report, the publication sets a new
standard for scientific rigor in assessing AI safety
- Brings together input from 100 world-leading AI experts put forward by 30
countries including France, China, the USA and UK, as well as the
UN, EU, and OECD
Ahead of the AI
Action Summit hosted by France next month, the Independent International
AI Safety Report
published today sets out the first comprehensive, shared
scientific understanding of advanced AI systems and their
risks.
Spearheaded by Yoshua Bengio - a Turing Award-winning
AI academic and the
most cited computer scientist in the world - the report brings
together insights from 100 independent international experts.
Launched at the AISafety Summit in November
2023, the report is mandated by more than 30 countries including
France, China and the United States, with operational support
provided by the Department for Science, Innovation, and
Technology.
As policymakers worldwide grapple with rapid and unpredictable
advancements in AI,
today's report contributes to bridging the gap by offering a
scientific understanding of emerging risks to guide decision
making.
The report also highlights how quickly the technology has evolved
in recent years and months, including how AI systems are increasingly
capable of acting as AI agents - autonomously
planning and carrying out complex tasks.
Its publication looks to plug the gaps by building up a
scientific basis of evidence to support policymakers in advancing
AI safety, while the
full implications of advanced AI systems are still being
discovered.
Report's Chair, Yoshua Bengio, Full Professor at Université de
Montréal and Scientific Director of Mila - Quebec AI Institute, said:
The capabilities of general-purpose AI have increased rapidly in
recent years and months. While this holds great potential for
society, AI also
presents significant risks that must be carefully managed by
governments worldwide.
This report by independent experts aims to facilitate
constructive and evidence-based discussion around these risks and
serves as a common basis for policymakers around the world to
understand general-purpose AIcapabilities, risks and
possible mitigations.
Key areas identified for further research include how rapidly
capabilities will advance, how general-purpose AI models work internally, and
how they can be designed to behave reliably.
While there are still many challenges in mitigating the risks of
general-purpose AI,
the report highlights promising areas for future research and
concludes that progress can be made. The report emphasises
widespread agreement that improving our understanding of how
AI works should be a
top priority, as international governments and AI companies prepare to gather
for the AI Action
Summit.
Ultimately, the report emphasises that while AI capabilities could advance at
varying speeds, their development and potential risks are not a
foregone conclusion. The Report concludes by saying that the
outcomes depend on the choices made by policymakers both today
and in the future.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology,
said:
The transformative potential of AI is clear, which is why we
have placed it at the heart of our government's Plan for Change.
It will help us kickstart economic growth, transform public
services, and boost the living standards of working people across
the country, but I remain clear eyed that safety must be baked in
from the outset.
The UK is already at the forefront of building the global
consensus needed on responsible AI, and this report will go a
step further as we prepare for the AI Action Summit. It will
support decision-makers with the scientific evidence they need to
seize the opportunities of AI, which is a charge we are
already leading by putting the technology to work to deliver more
jobs, more money in people's pockets, and transformed public
services.
French Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital
Technologies, Clara Chappaz said:
Artificial intelligence is a central topic of our time, and its
safety is a crucial foundation for building trust and fostering
adoption. Scientific research must remain the fundamental pillar
guiding these efforts. I salute the work of Yoshua Bengio and the
international team who produced this report, work which must be
perpetuated in the long term in the general interest.
This first comprehensive scientific assessment provides the
evidence base needed for societies and governments to shape
AI's future
direction responsibly. These insights will inform crucial
discussions at the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris.
Notes to editors
The UK government will continue to provide the Secretariat for
the report until a suitable long-term international home is
agreed, and Professor Yoshua Bengio will continue acting as chair
for 2025. This will be informed by ongoing global dialogues on
AI governance,
including those within the UN Global Digital Compact, the Network
of AI Safety
Institutes, and other forums, along with ongoing stakeholder
consultations.
