After announcing that it would be assembling international governments, AI companies and experts in research for a global summit on the safety of artificial intelligence in June, the UK government has said that Bletchley Park will be the host location for the event.
The event will take place on the 1 and 2 November and consider the risks of AI, especially at the frontier of development and host discussions on how risks can be mitigated through coordinated global action.
Frontier AI models can support economic growth, drive scientific progress and unlock wider social benefits, but concerns have been mounting over their potential safety risks if not developed responsibly.
Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire is a significant location in the history of computer science development due its role in British codebreaking efforts during World War Two.
Matt Clifford, CEO of Entrepreneur First and chair of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, has been appointed by the prime minister to lead the AI Safety Summit with Jonathan Black, a research fellow at the University of Oxford and former deputy national security advisor.
Rishi Sunak, UK prime minister, said: “The UK has long been home to the transformative technologies of the future…With the combined strength of our international partners, thriving AI industry and expert academic community, we can secure the rapid international action we need for the safe and responsible development of AI around the world.”
The summit will aim to build on ongoing international work such as that of the OECD, Global Partnership on AI, Council of Europe, and the UN and standards-development organisations, plus the recentl G7 Hiroshima AI Process.
According to the government, the UK has invested more on AI safety research than any other nation, backing the creation of the Foundation Model Taskforce with an initial £100m.
Iain Standen, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust, said: “Bletchley Park Trust is immensely privileged to have been chosen as the venue for the first major international summit on AI safety…It is fitting that the very spot where leading minds harnessed emerging technologies to influence the successful outcome of World War Two will, once again, be the crucible for international co-ordinated action.
“We are incredibly excited to be providing the stage for discussions on global safety standards, which will help everyone manage and monitor the risks of artificial intelligence.”
