UK to host first global summit on artificial intelligence

The United Kingdom will host the world's first summit on artificial intelligence (AI) by the end of the year, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive approach to mitigating the risks associated with the technology, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday in Washington.

The UK will host the world's first summit on artificial intelligence (AI). Getty Images/iStockphoto - ipopba

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AI has incredible potential to transform our lives for the better. But we need to make sure it's developed and used safely," Sunak said on the sidelines of a visit to the White House, where he is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden. "Throughout history, we have continued to create revolutionary new technologies that we have used for the good of humanity. This is what we need to achieve again," he added.

The summit should be held in autumn 2023 and bring together "countries with a similar approach" to lay the foundations for regulation, said a spokesman for the British leader. The idea of the summit, however, is not intended to thwart the exploitation of AI by authoritarian states, such as China or Russia, said the same source.

However, it responds to the British desire to eventually host the headquarters of a potential global regulator of AI, a desire that could however be undermined, while the European Union and the United States have already begun to discuss the subject. Rishi Sunak assured that the United Kingdom was not at risk of being excluded.

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I think we need to have confidence in our country's ability to be a leader when it comes to AI, because that's what the facts point out. " he told the BBC. "If you look at the number of companies, the amounts invested, the quality of our research, no one is at the level among other democratic countries, outside the United States," Sunak said.

The British Prime Minister also assured that President Biden, although nearly twice his age (80 against 43 for Rishi Sunak) was not exceeded in the face of this technology. "Yes, we discussed artificial intelligence when we were together in Japan [at the G7 summit] and I know that he is fully aware of the risks and opportunities that it entails," Rishi Sunak told British broadcaster TalkTV before his meeting with the US president.

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With AFP)

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  • United Kingdom
  • Rishi Sunak
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  • Artificial intelligence