US will join Sunak summit to rein in ‘existential’ AI risk
Washington is expected to accept an invitation to the global forum in London of ‘like-minded’ countries.
Britain will lead a global effort to regulate artificial intelligence when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts the first summit designed to set international rules for a technology that he acknowledges poses an “existential risk” to humanity.
The US is expected to accept an invitation to a summit in London of “like-minded” countries designed to become a regular global forum for agreeing safety measures for rapidly evolving AI.
Mr Sunak was due to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House, where they would aim to agree a joint approach on “international governance” for AI and an economic alliance designed to protect critical infrastructure from compromise by China.
However, there will be no trade deal with the US. Mr Sunak said he was focused on “making sure that our economic partnership reflects the particular challenges and opportunities of the time that we’re in right now – that involves not just trade but also economic security, which is increasingly important”.
Mr Sunak said he was looking at “specific and targeted” ways to increase trade and would meet several business leaders, including the heads of General Motors, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Northrop Grumman.
The Prime Minister arrived in Washington promising to protect the world against the “clear risks” of AI while also harnessing its benefits. He is pitching Britain as a world leader in AI and is calling for a “global effort” to sign up to safety rules modelled on the International Atomic Energy Authority.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will brief the UN Security Council next month on the risks posed by AI to international peace.
Mr Sunak has become increasingly concerned about the “existential” dangers posed by machines that will soon become so intelligent that they may prove impossible for humans to control.
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