Rishi Sunak hosting global summit on AI at Bletchley Park
The world of AI will be descending on Buckinghamshire
Last updated 1st Nov 2023
The Prime Minister is hosting a global summit on AI safety which it's hoped will cement the UK's status as a world-leader in this cutting-edge technology.
It's being hosted at Bletchley Park, the famous site where Alan Turing and his team cracked the German's Enigma Code during WWII.
Their work enabled British intelligence to move more quickly and act upon the information the Bletchley team gave them, contributing to a number of key military victories during the war.
It also sparked the industrialisation of codebreaking and helped pave the way for the first forms of the computers used today.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said the backdrop of Bletchley would “reaffirm our historic leadership in overseeing the development of new technologies”.
Ms Donelan has also announced that following the summit, a permanent exhibition to the event would be placed at Bletchley.
“What happened at Bletchley Park 80 years ago opened the door to the new information age,” she said ahead of the summit.
“And what happens there this week will open the door to a new age of AI.”
It's understood founder/co-founder of Tesla, SpaceX and OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) Elon Musk will attend, though it is unclear if this will be in person or virtually.
The Prime Minister announced he would appear “in conversation” in a livestream chat with Mr Musk on his X social media site after the summit closes.
US President Joe Biden will not be attending, nor will several other prolific world leaders.
Mr. Sunak said:
“We remain confident that we have brought together the right group of world experts in the AI space, leading businesses, and indeed world leaders and representatives who will be able to take on this vital issue.”
It is a “significant achievement” to host the first AI safety summit of its kind, he said.
It comes as, the UK has pledged £38 million to fund artificial intelligence projects around the world, starting in Africa.
The commitment is part of an £80 million collaboration between Britain, Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to boost "safe and responsible" programming, the Foreign Office said.
The group will co-ordinate with both African partners and tech companies including Microsoft to build a shared vision for AI development, the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:
"The transformative power of AI should have a global benefit. AI can change lives for the better around the world, including helping to develop new treatments for diseases and to tackle food insecurity.
"The AI for Development programme, alongside the AI Safety Summit hosted in Britain this week, is a testament to how we and our partners will use cutting-edge technology to create a more equitable and prosperous future."