USA, Chinathe European Union and twenty other countries signed in Britain on Wednesday the Bletchley Declaration for “safe” development of artificial intelligence (AI)at the first international summit on the rise of this technology.

“This historic declaration marks the beginning of a new global effort to increase public trust in AIso that it is safe,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on X (ex Twitter).

The document, whose signatories also include Brazil and Chiliunderlines “the urgent need to jointly understand and manage the potential risks of AI.

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Given the growing potential of models like ChatGPT, Bletchley’s statement shows that for the first time the world is coming together to identify the problem and highlight its opportunities, British Technology Minister Michelle Donelan told AFP.

The meeting “It is not intended to lay the foundation for global legislation, but rather should serve to chart a path forward.” accurately.

Next, two international summits on AI will take place, one in South Korea – within six months – and another in France, within a year, added the minister of the emblematic center where the Nazis’ secret codes were deciphered in the Second World War.

In parallel with the meeting, US Vice President Kamala Harris is due to announce the establishment of an institute for the security of artificial intelligence in Washington in a speech in London.

This structure – similar to the one also announced by Britain – will bring together experts to set “guidelines” and evaluate the most advanced AI models to “identify and mitigate” risks, the White House said.

Generative AIs – capable of producing text, sounds or images in seconds– have progressed exponentially in recent years and the next generations of these models will appear in the summer.

They have great hopes in the fields of medicine and education, but they can also destabilize societies, allow the production of weapons or escape human control, the British government warns.

Behind closed doors

After this first day dedicated to the potential dangers of more advanced AI, high-level political representatives are expected at Bletchley Park on Thursday.

Among them are the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, and the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni.

American billionaire and star businessman Elon Muskpresent at the summit on Wednesday, will exchange views with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday evening.

“Our goal is to create a framework for better understanding (…), and so that there is at least one independent arbiter who can observe what AI companies are doing and sound the alarm if something concerns him,” Musk told the press.

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“My hope for this summit is that an international consensus will emerge on the initial understanding of advanced AI,” he added.

In an open letter published on Tuesday, several “founders” of this technology, such as Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, called for “the development and ratification of an international treaty on AI” to reduce “potentially catastrophic” risks. that advanced systems are weighing on humanity.”

The challenge is to create safeguards without stifling innovation for AI labs and tech giants. The EU and the United States, unlike Great Britain, opted for the path of regulation.

Last week, several companies such as OpenAI, Meta (Facebook) or DeepMind (Google) agreed to make part of their AI security policies public at the request of the United Kingdom.

In an open letter addressed to Rishi Sunak, 100 international organisations, experts and activists regretted that this summit is taking place behind “closed doors”, dominated by technology giants and with limited access for civil society. (JO)