For the first time, 28 countries including the US, EU, China, and the UK have agreed on the opportunities and risks of frontier AI. The agreement, known as the Bletchley Declaration on AI safety, was reached at a summit at Bletchley Park. The declaration emphasises the need for international cooperation to manage potential risks and ensure AI is developed and deployed safely. The UK’s Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, opened the summit. The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced the establishment of the world’s first AI Safety Institute. The next summit will be co-hosted by the Republic of Korea.
Global Agreement on Frontier AI Risks and Opportunities
For the first time, 28 countries, including the US, EU, and China, have convened in the UK to discuss the opportunities and risks associated with frontier AI. This meeting, held at Bletchley Park, has resulted in a world-first agreement known as the Bletchley Declaration on AI safety. The Declaration recognises the urgent need to understand and manage potential risks through a joint global effort, ensuring AI is developed and deployed safely and responsibly for the benefit of the global community.
Countries endorsing the Declaration include Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement fulfils key summit objectives in establishing shared responsibility on the risks, opportunities, and a forward process for international collaboration on frontier AI safety and research. This includes greater scientific collaboration and discussions on understanding frontier AI risks and improving frontier AI safety.
Understanding and Managing AI Risks
The Declaration acknowledges that substantial risks may arise from potential intentional misuse or unintended control issues of frontier AI. These risks include cybersecurity, biotechnology, and disinformation. The agreement states that there is potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm, either deliberate or unintentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities of these AI models. The risks beyond frontier AI, including bias and privacy, were also noted.
To deepen the understanding of risks and capabilities that are not fully understood, attendees agreed to work together to support a network of scientific research on Frontier AI safety. This builds on the UK Prime Minister’s announcement last week for the UK to establish the world’s first AI Safety Institute and complementing existing international efforts. This will ensure the best available scientific research can be used to create an evidence base for managing the risks whilst unlocking the benefits of the technology.
International Cooperation on Frontier AI Safety
The Declaration details that the risks are best addressed through international cooperation. As part of agreeing a forward process for international collaboration on frontier AI safety, The Republic of Korea has agreed to co-host a mini virtual summit on AI in the next 6 months. France will then host the next in-person Summit in a year from now. Further details on these events will be confirmed in due course.
This ensures an enduring legacy from the Summit and continued international action to tackle AI risks, including informing national and international risk-based policies across these countries. The Declaration also acknowledges that those developing these unusually powerful and potentially dangerous frontier AI capabilities, have a particular responsibility for ensuring the safety of these systems, including by implementing systems to test them and other appropriate measures.
Reactions to the Bletchley Declaration
The Bletchley Declaration has been hailed as a landmark achievement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who stated that it sees the world’s greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI. Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, and spokespersons for the French Presidency and the Republic of Korea Government also expressed their support for the agreement.
The King also delivered a virtual address to the AI Safety Summit, hailing AI as one of the ‘greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour’ and emphasising the need for ‘international coordination and collaboration’ to ensure that this rapidly evolving technology remains safe and secure.
Future Steps for AI Safety
The Bletchley Declaration marks the start of a new global effort to build public trust by ensuring the technology’s safe development. It also sets the stage for future discussions and collaborations on AI safety, with the Republic of Korea set to co-host a mini virtual summit on AI in the next 6 months, and France hosting the next in-person Summit in a year from now.
The Declaration also builds upon the UK’s emerging processes for AI safety, acknowledging that those developing these powerful and potentially dangerous frontier AI capabilities have a particular responsibility for ensuring the safety of these systems. This includes implementing systems to test them and other appropriate measures.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
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. 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 is once again leading the world at the forefront of this new technological frontier by kickstarting this conversation, which will see us work together to make AI safe and realise all its benefits for generations to come.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan
Today’s agreement signed by attendees from across the globe, offers an important first step as we begin 2 days of vitally important discussions here at Bletchley Park. We have always said that no single country can face down the challenges and risks posed by AI alone, and today’s landmark Declaration marks the start of a new global effort to build public trust by ensuring the technology’s safe development. Bletchley Park marks the start of a long road ahead, and the Summit will kickstart an enduring process to ensure every nation and every citizen can realise the boundless benefits of AI .
Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly
AI knows no borders, and its impact on the world will only deepen. The UK is proud to have kickstarted the global discussion at Bletchley Park on how we ensure the transformational power of AI is used as a force for good by and for all of us.
The French authorities welcome the international and cooperative work cycle launched by the AI Safety Summit to analyse, understand and respond to the risks that certain Frontier AI models could cause. France is ready to participate in this long-term collective effort and will be happy to host the next in person Summit.
A spokesperson for the French Presidency
A spokesperson for the Republic of Korea Government
Minister Lee is delighted that Korea will be the co-hosts of the mini virtual summit. Korea is a world leader in technologies like AI and recognises the importance of multilateral cooperation to ensure AI technologies are designed, used and governed in safe ways.”
Summary
Twenty-eight countries, including the US, EU, and China, convened by the UK, have reached a world-first agreement on the opportunities and risks of frontier AI, agreeing on the need for collective management of potential risks and ensuring AI is developed and deployed safely for global benefit. The Bletchley Declaration on AI safety, endorsed by countries such as Brazil, France, India, Japan, and the UAE, establishes shared responsibility on frontier AI safety and research, recognising the need for international cooperation and scientific research to manage risks and unlock the benefits of the technology.
- For the first time, 28 countries including the UK, US, EU, and China have convened to discuss the opportunities and risks of frontier AI, a type of AI that poses the most urgent and dangerous risks.
- The meeting, known as the Bletchley Declaration on AI safety, was held at Bletchley Park and led by the UK’s Technology Secretary.
- Countries including Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and the UAE endorsed the declaration, agreeing to the need for collective management of potential risks and ensuring AI is developed and deployed safely.
- The declaration also highlights the need for international collaboration on frontier AI safety and research, with a focus on scientific collaboration.
- Risks identified include potential misuse, control issues, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and disinformation risks. Bias and privacy issues were also noted.
- Attendees agreed to support a network of scientific research on Frontier AI safety, building on the UK’s recent announcement of the world’s first AI Safety Institute.
- The Republic of Korea will co-host a virtual summit on AI in the next six months, and France will host the next in-person summit in a year.
- The declaration also emphasises the responsibility of those developing frontier AI to ensure the safety of these systems.
