King Charles gives unexpected speech at AI summit warning 'urgency' needed
The King has given an unexpected address to the AI summit in which he has said the tech is considered "no less significant, no less important than the discovery of electricity, the splitting of the atom, the creation of the worldwide web, or even the harnessing of fire".
On day one of the first global AI summit, hosted by the UK in Bletchley Park, the King warned we need to "address the risks presented by AI with a sense of urgency, unity and collective strength". "We are witnessing one of the greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour," His Majesty said.
"The rapid rise of powerful artificial intelligence is considered by many of the greatest thinkers of our age to be no less significant, no less important, than the discovery of electricity, the splitting of the atom, the creation of the worldwide web, or even the harnessing of fire," he said. "AI holds the potential to completely transform life as we know it, to help us better treat and perhaps even cure conditions like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, to hasten our journey towards net zero and realise a new era of potentially limitless clean green energy even just to help us make our everyday lives a bit easier."
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But King Charles warned "we must work together on combating its significant risks too". "AI continues to advance with ever greater speed towards models that some predict could surpass human abilities, even human understanding," he said. "There is a clear imperative to ensure that this rapidly evolving technology remains safe and secure, and because AI does not respect international boundaries, this mission demands international coordination and collaboration."
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The AI summit will see representatives of 27 countries, including the US, France and China, meet with leading AI companies and civic society groups to discuss the risks of the emerging technology. King Charles said: "It is incumbent on those with responsibility to meet these challenges to protect people's privacy and livelihoods which are essential to both our economic and psychological well-being to secure our democracies from harm and to ensure the benefits of new technology are shared by all."
He compared the need for the global world to tackle the risks of AI to "how the international community has sought to tackle climate change, to light a path to net zero and safeguard the future of our planet". We will similarly address the risks presented by AI with a sense of urgency, unity and collective strength," he said.
In closing his remarks, he said: "On behalf of the United Kingdom, I want to thank you all for the vital role you are playing in this shared endeavour for laying the foundations of a lasting consensus on AI safety and for ensuring that this immensely powerful technology is indeed a force for good in this world."
It came after Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said delegations from around the world attending the summit had agreed on the "Bletchley declaration on AI safety" as the starting point for a global conversation on the issue. Speaking at the opening of the summit, Ms Donelan said the agreement was a "landmark achievement" and that it "lays the foundations for today's discussions". "It affirms the need to address these risks as they are the only way to safely unlock the extraordinary opportunities," she said.
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