BLETCHLEY PARK, England – The United States and China, along with representatives from 27 other countries, have come together to address the need for rulemaking in the field of artificial int
elligence (AI). This initiative was launched during a two-day AI Safety Summit held in the United Kingdom.
During the summit, notable figures such as Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, and Věra Jourová, Europe’s digital chief, stressed the importance of international cooperation in dealing with AI-related challenges.
The summit, which took place at Bletchley Park, a historic site in England known for its role in World War II codebreaking efforts, symbolized the global urgency to regulate the rapidly evolving AI technology. Political leaders, tech executives, and academics gathered to explore strategies for effectively governing AI, a field that is advancing faster than many governments can keep up with.
This week, the United States and the G7 group of Western democracies separately introduced initiatives aimed at regulating AI, including a White House executive order and a voluntary code of conduct. The European Union is on track to finalize its own Artificial Intelligence Act by early December, and the United Nations has established an AI advisory board expected to provide recommendations by the end of 2023.
Secretary Raimondo emphasized the need for international collaboration, stating, “We will compete as nations. But even as we compete vigorously, we must search for global solutions for global problems. The work, of course, does not begin and end with just the U.S. and the U.K. We want to expand information sharing, research, collaboration, and ultimately policy alignment across the globe.”
In a communiqué released at the summit, 27 countries and the European Union signed the “Bletchley Park Declaration on AI,” focusing on “frontier AI,” which refers to the latest advancements in AI technology. Both China and the U.S. were signatories to the voluntary declaration, despite ongoing tensions between these two major economies. The declaration commits governments to work together to ensure the trustworthy and responsible use of emerging AI technologies.
China’s Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Wu Zhaohui, affirmed China’s commitment to global AI governance, stating, “China is willing to engage on AI governance for the promotion of all mankind.”
While references to global AI regulation efforts led by organizations like the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development were included in earlier drafts, they were omitted from the final communiqué. In response, U.K. Digital Minister Michelle Donelan clarified that the summit complements rather than duplicates existing international efforts. Officials from the United Nations and the OECD view the U.K.’s initiative as a valuable addition, specifically addressing advanced frontier AI.
The British government announced that the next AI Safety Summit will be held in South Korea in May 2024, with a third event planned for France by the end of the following year. Additionally, the U.K. and the U.S. revealed plans to collaborate on AI Safety Institutes, where they will exchange research and analyses.
Věra Jourová, the EU’s digital chief, welcomed the renewed efforts to establish guardrails for the most advanced AI systems. The European Union has been working on its own AI legislation for the past three years, recognizing the evolving capabilities of AI systems. Jourová emphasized the shared responsibility in getting AI regulation right, noting that “the future will ask us if we did the right thing at the right moment.”
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