Bletchley Declaration puts focus on AI safety

The Bletchley Declaration saw many of the world’s global powers, including the US, China and EU, agreeing in principle that the safe use of AI is of fundamental concern. Other countries endorsing the Declaration include Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

“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,” said prime minister Rishi Sunak.

“Under the UK’s leadership, more than 25 countries at the AI Safety Summit have stated a shared responsibility to address AI risks and take forward vital international collaboration on frontier AI safety and research.”

The UK summit, hosted at Bletchley Park, was convened originally to focus on ‘frontier AI’: highly capable foundation models that could possess dangerous capabilities and present an existential threat to humanity. However, recent advances in AI – along with its already widespread use across many aspects of society - are seen by many as a more pressing threat. There have been calls for stronger regulatory direction from governments, particularly for the tech companies central to the direction of AI’s development.