- With 118 dead from Hurricane Helene, Biden defends US government response
- Breeder who tried to create enormous trophy sheep jailed in US
- Qatar Airways seeking 25% stake in Virgin Australia
- US port officials gird for strike as labor talks stay stuck
- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
RBGPF | 7.18% | 64.75 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.21% | 24.72 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 7.05 | $ | |
CMSD | -1.21% | 24.78 | $ | |
NGG | -0.09% | 69.67 | $ | |
AZN | 0.37% | 77.91 | $ | |
SCS | 2.52% | 13.49 | $ | |
RIO | -0.08% | 71.17 | $ | |
BCC | -0.36% | 140.98 | $ | |
GSK | 0.42% | 40.88 | $ | |
JRI | 0.66% | 13.67 | $ | |
RELX | -0.21% | 47.46 | $ | |
VOD | -0.7% | 10.02 | $ | |
BCE | -1.12% | 34.8 | $ | |
BTI | -0.71% | 36.58 | $ | |
BP | -0.1% | 31.39 | $ |
UK, US, China sign AI safety pledge at UK summit
Countries including the UK, United States and China on Wednesday agreed the "need for international action" as political and tech leaders gathered for the world's first summit on artificial intelligence (AI) safety.
The UK government kicked off the two-day event at Bletchley Park, north of London, by publishing the "Bletchley Declaration" signed by 28 countries and the European Union.
In it, they agreed on "the urgent need to understand and collectively manage potential risks through a new joint global effort to ensure AI is developed and deployed in a safe, responsible way for the benefit of the global community".
Sunak called the declaration a "landmark achievement" while King Charles III, in a video message to the summit, urged international collaboration to combat the "significant risks" of unchecked development.
"There is a clear imperative to ensure that this rapidly evolving technology remains safe and secure," he said.
UK technology minister Michelle Donelan told AFP that the declaration "really outlines for the first time the world coming together to identify this problem".
The announcement came shortly after the UK and United States both said they were setting up their own institutes to assess and mitigate the risks of the fast-emerging technology.
The release of the latest models have offered a glimpse into the potential of so-called frontier AI, but have also prompted concerns around issues ranging from job losses to cyber attacks and the control that humans actually have over the systems.
The conference at Bletchley Park, where top British codebreakers cracked Nazi Germany's "Enigma" code, focuses on frontier AI.
Donelan told AFP the event was a "historic moment in mankind's history" after earlier announcing two further summits, in South Korea in six months' time, and in France next year.
But London has reportedly had to scale back its ambitions around ideas such as launching a new regulatory body amid a perceived lack of enthusiasm.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was one of the only world leaders attending the conference, although tech giant Elon Musk was already in attendance on the first day, and will talk with Sunak on Thursday.
Donelan accepted that the summit "isn't designed to produce a blueprint for global legislation", but was instead "designed to forge a path ahead,... so that we can get a better handle and understanding on the risk of frontier AI".
- 'Talking shop' -
While the potential of AI raises many hopes, particularly for medicine, its development is seen as largely unchecked.
In a speech last week, Sunak stressed the need for countries to develop "a shared understanding of the risks that we face".
But lawyer and investigator Cori Crider, a campaigner for "fair" technology, warned that the summit could be "a bit of a talking shop.
"If he were serious about safety, Rishi Sunak needed to roll deep and bring all of the UK majors and regulators in tow and he hasn't," she told a San Francisco news conference.
"Where is the labour regulator looking at whether jobs are being made unsafe or redundant? Where's the data protection regulator?" she asked.
Having faced criticism for only looking at the risks of AI, the UK on Wednesday pledged £38 million ($46 million) to fund AI projects around the world, starting in Africa.
Ahead of the meeting, the G7 powers agreed on Monday on a non-binding "code of conduct" for companies developing the most advanced AI systems.
In Rome, ministers from Italy, Germany and France called for an "innovation-friendly approach" to regulating AI in Europe, as they urged more investment to challenge the United States and China.
News website Politico reported that London had invited President Xi Jinping to signify its eagerness for a senior representative.
The invitation has raised eyebrows amid heightened tensions between China and Western nations and accusations of technological espionage.
O.Hansen--CPN