Another major AI Safety Summit is on the table thanks to recent boom

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Seoul set to hold next AI Safety Summit

A profile of a human brain against a digital background.
Image credit: geralt on Pixabay (Image credit: Pixabay)

South Korea and the United Kingdom are set to co-host the second global AI summit in Seoul, six months after the first event took place in Bletchley Park late last year.

The upcoming event, scheduled for May 21-22, comes as a response to the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence in such a short space of time, which has left governments grappling with new and emerging risks and safety considerations.

Seoul’s summit is expected to focus on AI safety, innovation and inclusion, and will have South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the helm.

Seoul AI Summit

The two leaders will oversee a virtual summit on the first day amid growing calls for better regulation of artificial intelligence. An undisclosed group of global leaders have also been invited to the event in order for them to discuss progress and share thoughts, harnessing a more collaborative and safer AI landscape.

The latest International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI interim report, published ahead of the event in Seoul this week, highlighted some of the potential risks associated with AI, including large-scale labor market disruptions, AI-enabled hacking, biological attacks and the potential loss of control.

Despite the technology’s ability to enhance wellbeing, prosperity, and scientific discoveries, the report highlighted a lack of understanding of the capabilities and inner workings of general-purpose AI systems, together with uncertainty about AI’s future pace and direction.

The final report, a culmination of research from over 30 countries, is set to be published before France’s AI Action Summit later this year.

Seoul’s virtual meeting will be followed by in-person meetings, with the likes of UK Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan and South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-Ho in attendance, as well as execs from companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Microsoft.

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Craig Hale
Craig Hale

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