UN chief leads calls for ‘united’ response to AI threats

AFP  :
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for a “united, sustained, global response” to artificial intelligence threats, as Western allies agreed a safety framework for new cutting-edge models at a world-first summit in Britain.
The UN chief said the world was “playing catch-up” and needed to “get ahead of the wave”, as he addressed the inaugural AI Safety Summit attended by various political, technology and other figures from around the world.
The two-day gathering at Bletchley Park, north of London, ended Thursday with Western governments and companies involved in so-called next generation “frontier” AI agreeing a new safety testing regime.
Governments from G7 and EU countries, as well as Australia, Korea, Singapore, struck a deal with AI-leading companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Microsoft, to test their latest models before and after release.
It comes amid growing concerns around the emerging tech, ranging from job losses and cyberattacks to humans’ ability to remain in control of future systems.
Guterres told the summit that AI had “possible long-term negative consequences” on everything from jobs to culture, while its concentration in a few countries and companies “could increase geopolitical tensions”.
Warning it might “exacerbate the enormous inequalities that already plague our world”, he demanded a “united, sustained, global strategy, based on multilateralism and the participation of all stakeholders”.
Hailing the new “landmark” agreement around testing, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he believed it would help “tip the balance in favour of humanity”.
Sunak, who struck an alarmist tone in a recent speech warning of AI’s potential dangers, also announced that renowned AI academic Yoshua Bengio would lead a team producing an inaugural report into AI safety.
“The late Stephen Hawking once said, AI is likely to be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity,” Sunak told a news conference concluding the summit.
“If we can sustain the collaboration that we have fostered over these last two days, I profoundly believe that we can make it the best.”
The gathering kicked off Wednesday with an agreement signed by 28 countries and the European Union acknowledging the “need for international action”.