The UK, US and China are among 28 countries that have signed the ‘Bletchley Declaration’, pledging to cooperate to promote the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
World leaders, computer scientists and tech executives are currently meeting at Bletchley Park – the home of codebreaking and computing – for the first AI summit in history.
The UK has marked the event by publishing the Bletchley Declaration, described as a “landmark achievement” that signals a starting point in the conversations around the risks of AI technologies. The document has been signed by representatives from the European Union and 28 countries, including the US and China.
The agreement is expected to “lay the foundations” for the discussions that will take place during the summit, and describes the need to address the risks that AIs could pose to society as “the only way to safely unlock the extraordinary opportunities”, according to UK technology secretary Michelle Donelan.
The declaration aims to boost collaboration and communication between countries and companies engaged in the development of AI technology, stressing the need for appropriate evaluation metrics, tools for safety testing and developing relevant public sector capability and scientific research.
“This is a landmark achievement that sees the world’s greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI – helping ensure the long-term future of our children and grandchildren,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
During the next two days, experts, businessmen and politicians will debate how best to maximise the benefits of AI while minimising its risks. Some of the topics that are expected to take centre stage are fears the technology could be used to facilitate biological and cyber attacks.
The list of attendees also includes tech bosses such as Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. International delegates include US vice-president Kamala Harris and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, while the attendance of representatives of China has been celebrated as a success on the UK’s part.
During his opening remarks, Chinese delegate Wu Zhaohui urged countries to “ensure AI always remains under human control”, stressing that the technology should be required to respect “rights and interests of humanity” and “international laws”.
European Commission vice-president Věra Jourová trumpeted the EU’s work on its AI Act, and discussed the need for “smart regulation combined with voluntary commitments”.
The summit also included a video address from King Charles III, who said the advent of AI could be “no less important” than the harnessing of electricity, the splitting of the atom and the discovery of fire.
“We are witnessing one of the greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour,” he said. “If we are to realise the untold benefits of AI, we must work together on combatting its significant risks too.”
Representatives of large AI developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google and Amazon are also present in the summit.
The location of the summit has been chosen for its symbolism. At Bletchley Park, a group of mathematicians, cryptographers, crossword puzzlers and chess masters cracked Germany’s Enigma encryption machine. In achieving this, they also created the ‘Turing bombe’, a precedessor of modern computers.
“This summit provides an opportunity for us to ensure we have the right people with the right expertise gathered around the table to discuss how we can mitigate these risks moving forward,” Donelan said. “Only then will we be able to truly reap the benefits of this transformative technology in a responsible manner.”
The UK has also announced that two more summits will be held over the next two years to continue conversations around the technology’s development. One will be held in South Korea in six months’ time, and another in France a year from now.
