So, the AI summit – what was that all about? The great Bletchley Park jamboree concluded last night with an hour-long chat between Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk. As tech bros and world leaders depart today, Sunak’s team can reflect on a job well done. Prior to the summit, there was much sneering about whether anyone would even turn up. Sinosceptics protested the invitation to China. Others mocked the UK’s ambitions. And there were predictable barbs about the Musk fireside chat.
But Bletchley was worth the gamble, with a list of attendees that reads like a who’s who of the AI world. The headline achievement was getting some 28 nations – including both China and the US – to agree to the ‘Bletchley declaration’ to address the risks represented by AI development. Given the tense relationship between Washington and Beijing, this is no mean feat. While there are questions to be asked about the extent to which China will abide by these commitments, dialogue will increase awareness of AI’s potential threat to humanity.
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