Bletchley Declaration signals international efforts to tame AI risks

Leading countries in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) – including Canada, the United States, and China – agreed in a joint declaration, that while humanity has lots to gain from the rapidly evolving technology, it also poses significant risks and that international cooperation is needed to address them. Published on Wednesday, the Bletchley Declaration was signed by 28 countries and the European Union, with countries agreeing to support joint efforts to ensure AI is developed and deployed in a safe and responsible way. The countries said they are committed to working together to develop a shared understanding of the key opportunities and dangers of frontier AI and to collaborate on building risk-based policies that maximize its benefits. Frontier AI refers to the latest, highly advanced AI systems that push the capabilities of the technology. Its potential for misuse, unpredictable growth, and loss of control pose significant risks that the countries say need to be explored before effective regulations can be established. “We are especially concerned by such risks in domains such as cybersecurity and biotechnology, as well as where frontier AI systems may amplify risks such as disinformation,” states the declaration. “There is potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm, either deliberate or unintentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities of these AI models.” Countries in the declaration noted certain regulatory approaches that could be worth exploring, including the “classifications and categorisations of risk,” similar to the sliding scale found in the EU’s AI Act and the Canadian government’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making. It also recognized the relevance of establishing common principles and codes of conduct, echoing the generative AI code of conduct announced by Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne in September. Actors developing frontier AI technologies are encouraged to be transparent and accountable on their plans to measure, monitor and mitigate potential dangers, according to the declaration. The policy paper kicked off day one of the world’s first AI Safety Summit, hosted by the United Kingdom. Officials, academics, and business executives met at Bletchley Park, a former secret World War II codebreaking base considered to be the birthplace of modern computing, to discuss the prevention and mitigation of harms from AI. “In order to maximize, or to realize, the benefits of AI, we need to deal with managing the risk and once we have managed the risk, we can realize the opportunities,” said Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, during the day's closing remarks. “And the way to do that is having these guardrails that will build trust.” In a press release accompanying the declaration, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “This is a landmark achievement that sees the world’s greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI – helping ensure the long-term future of our children and grandchildren.” Roundtable sessions were closed-door, but conclusions from each will be released after the summit, according to the UK government’s website. Those present emphasized that this is just the beginning of the discussion, saying they look forward to attending a mini virtual summit hosted by South Korea in the next 6 months, with France hosting the next in-person summit a year from now. – Reporting by Phalen Tynes-MacDonald at pcreed@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

Bletchley Declaration signals international efforts to tame AI risks

News | November 1, 2023

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Bletchley Declaration signals international efforts to tame AI risks

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