The first international summit was held in Bletchley near London. The hosts, the British, emphasized that AI (artificial intelligence) means many opportunities, but also threats. Among them, crime, terrorism, disinformation as threats to democracy and our privacy. In addition, changes in the labor market and the risk that people will be replaced by algorithms. But there is also a question about who is responsible for the acts of superintelligence. The list of challenges is huge. Technical issues at the meeting were intertwined with issues for ethicists and philosophers.
The CEO of Antonio Guterres and the CEO of Tesla and owner of X (former Twitter) Elon Musk flew to Bletchley. There are representatives of 27 governments, think tanks, and companies such as Google, Meta and Microsoft. The host is British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
China is a guest at the AI summit
They officially participated in the first day of the summit. On the second day, a ministerial meeting on AI model testing was held. According to the organizers, China was not present and their representative was also missing from the photos after the meeting. However, Beijing stated that the delegate, Vice Minister of Science and Technology Wu Zhaohui, appeared at the talks, although he was not among the invitees.
“Contact the British about the arrangements and effects of this meeting” – the Chinese ministry when asked about this matter. On Wednesday, British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed a hint about this. He said on Bloomberg TV that “there are meetings where we want cooperating countries that think in a similar way, so China’s presence there would be inappropriate.” Another explanation suggested by Reuters is that it wanted to show a united front, and China did not support the meeting’s arrangements. Both China’s technology minister and a British government spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
Democratic protocol may also have played a role, as these involved conversations between officials higher in rank than Wu Zhaohui’s. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that it would be a meeting of more important politicians, including the Vice-President of the USA and the head of the European Commission.
Some British lawmakers criticized China’s invitation to the summit altogether. They questioned whether it was a good idea to host Beijing, which is a technological rival and a military threat to the West, for a meeting on such an important technology as AI.
Some say we shouldn’t have invited China. Others say that we should not enter into an agreement with them. Both sides were wrong
– said Rishi Sunak.
UK AI Summit
During the first day of the summit, the Bletchley Declaration was signed. Wu Zhaohui also participated in these events, and among the signatories of the agreement, apart from the USA and the European Union, were China and 26 other countries. The declaration concerned a common approach to identifying the threats arising from AI and how to deal with them.
There are not many details, but few people expected a breakthrough during these two days. The list of problems is long. Dr. Elena Abrusci from London’s Brunel University emphasizes that, among other things, there is a risk to privacy, e.g. every time we rush to accept the so-called cookies. – Sometimes even companies that pass on our data have no idea who uses it and how – emphasizes the expert.
Next on the list is disinformation and a similar problem: how algorithms lock us in information bubbles. Elena Abrusci also emphasizes that AI may have a negative impact on bureaucracy, and automation in offices may turn out to be a threat. Theoretically, it is possible that one day we will lose the opportunity of a lifetime without even knowing it.
Our data can train an algorithm that will silently decide whether we will get a job, benefits, or whether our child will get into school. Unless we fit the profile of an ideal candidate used by such an algorithm
– emphasized the Polish Radio interlocutor.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said that AI may be a threat to democracy. She emphasized that artificial intelligence can be dangerous not only when it is used to produce chemical or biological weapons, posing an existential threat to life. In her opinion, AI is also a threat when it helps lie to society. – When people around the world cannot distinguish truth from fiction due to the deluge of AI-powered disinformation, I ask: isn’t this an existential threat to democracy? – said the politician.
Everyone has access to AI. It’s as if we gave everyone a stick of dynamite and said: ‘remember, don’t use it for evil purposes.
– said Professor Anders Sandberg, philosopher and futurologist from the Institute for the Future of Humanity at the University of Oxford.
While most experts agree that we are a long way from a science-fiction moment in which machines and artificial intelligence take over humanity, there is broad consensus that humanity should now seriously consider how to cope. with the challenges of the future. ‘We should act as if superintelligence will appear next year,’ says Professor Sandberg. – We need to work hard now on appropriate security and coordination. And on enforcing the responsibility of the creators of such systems – says the interlocutor of Polish Radio.
He also admits that entering the new reality will not be without problems. – The complexity of the situation means that at the beginning we will experience some small disasters. We will have to learn lessons from them quickly. It is also a matter of coordination and international flow of information, said the professor.
There will be further summits on AI
Rishi Sunak announced that there will be further international summits on the threats posed by artificial intelligence. He warned that world leaders have a responsibility to meet this challenge early. – Sir Stephen Hawking once said that artificial intelligence will probably be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity. If we manage to maintain the current cooperation, I deeply believe that it will turn out to be the best thing, he said.
The Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence was held in a symbolic venue. It was in Bletchley, during World War II, that a group of scientists led by Alan Turing cracked the Enigma code, based on the work of Polish mathematicians.
Source: Gazeta
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