AI leaders commit to safe technology advancement in a global meeting
16 prominent companies at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence development pledged on Tuesday, during a global meeting, to prioritize the safe advancement of the technology. This commitment comes at a time when regulators worldwide are racing to keep pace with rapid innovation and emerging risks.
Among the participating companies were leading U.S. entities such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI, alongside firms from China, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) Their commitment was endorsed by a broader declaration from the Group of Seven (G7) major economies, the E.U., Singapore, Australia, and South Korea. This landmark agreement transpired at a virtual meeting co-hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
President Yoon emphasized the imperative of prioritizing AI safety, innovation, and inclusivity to safeguard societal well-being and democracy, citing concerns such as deepfake technology.
Participants underscored the significance of interoperability among governance frameworks, proposed plans for a network of safety institutes, and advocated engagement with international bodies to reinforce the agreement. The companies, including Zhipu.ai backed by Chinese giants Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan, and Xiaomi, as well as the U.A.E.’s Technology Innovation Institute, Amazon, IBM, and Samsung Electronics, committed to publishing safety frameworks for assessing risks. They vowed to avoid models where risks cannot be adequately mitigated and emphasized the importance of governance and transparency.
Beth Barnes, founder of METR, a group advocating for AI model safety, stressed the necessity of international consensus on delineating “red lines” beyond which AI development poses unacceptable dangers to public safety.
Renowned computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, often dubbed the “godfather of AI,” welcomed the commitments but emphasized that voluntary pledges must be complemented by robust regulation.
Aidan Gomez, co-founder of Cohere, a leading language model firm, noted a shift in AI regulation discussions since November from hypothetical doomsday scenarios to practical concerns, such as AI’s application in fields like medicine and finance.
Although China, a signatory to the “Bletchley Agreement” on collectively managing AI risks, did not attend Tuesday’s session, it is expected to participate in an in-person ministerial session on Wednesday, according to a South Korean presidential official.
Key figures from the AI industry, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Samsung Electronics’ Chairman Jay Y. Lee, were among the participants in the meeting.
Officials announced that the next meeting will take place in France.
