UK to Host First-Ever Global AI Safety Summit at Historic Codebreaking base

International governments, leading AI companies, and experts in research will gather in the UK in November for the first-ever global AI safety summit.

The summit will be held at Bletchley Park, a significant location in the history of computer science development and once the home of British Enigma codebreaking.

The two-day event will focus on the risks of AI, especially at the frontier of development, and how these risks can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action. Frontier AI models hold enormous potential to power economic growth, drive scientific progress, and benefit society in many ways. However, they also pose potential risks, such as:

• How to ensure that AI is developed and used in a responsible and ethical manner
• How to prevent AI from being used for malicious purposes, such as cyberattacks or discrimination
• How to ensure that AI is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances

The summit is being organized by the UK government, which has been a vocal advocate for international cooperation on AI safety. The government has said that it wants the summit to be a “forum for action” where countries can come together to agree on concrete steps to ensure the safe and responsible development of AI.

The historic significance of Bletchley Park as the home of British codebreaking during World War II is also seen as a fitting location for the summit. The summit is being held in the same building where Alan Turing and his team cracked the Enigma code, a feat that is credited with shortening the war and saving millions of lives.

The summit is a significant milestone in the global effort to ensure the safe and responsible development of AI. The outcome of the summit will have a major impact on the future of AI and its impact on society.

The AI safety summit is an important step in addressing the risks of AI. By bringing together stakeholders from around the world, the summit can help to develop a shared understanding of these risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. The success of the summit will depend on the willingness of all stakeholders to work together and to put the safety of humanity first.

• In 2015, a group of AI researchers published a paper warning of the potential dangers of autonomous weapons. They argued that these weapons could be used to kill without human intervention, and that they could pose a serious threat to international security.
• In 2018, the US military announced that it was developing an AI system that could be used to target and kill enemy combatants. This announcement sparked a debate about the ethics of using AI for warfare.
• In 2020, a group of AI experts published a report calling for a ban on autonomous weapons. They argued that these weapons are too dangerous and that they could lead to a new arms race.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“The UK has long been home to the transformative technologies of the future, so there is no better place to host the first ever global AI safety summit than at Bletchley Park this November.

“To fully embrace the extraordinary opportunities of artificial intelligence, we must grip and tackle the risks to ensure it develops safely in the years ahead.

“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.”

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:  

“International collaboration is the cornerstone of our approach to AI regulation, and we want the summit to result in leading nations and experts agreeing on a shared approach to its safe use.  

“The UK is consistently recognised as a world leader in AI and we are well placed to lead these discussions. The location of Bletchley Park as the backdrop will reaffirm our historic leadership in overseeing the development of new technologies.  

“AI is already improving lives from new innovations in healthcare to supporting efforts to tackle climate change, and November’s summit will make sure we can all realise the technology’s huge benefits safely and securely for decades to come”.