First international declaration on risks of AI

On November 1, 2023, fifty-four countries, including the European Union, United States, China and the United Kingdom, signed the Bletchley Declaration, the world’s first agreement on AI security. The signing parties’ unbinding commitment states “AI should be designed, developed, deployed, and used, in a manner that is safe, in such a way as to be human-centric, trustworthy and responsible.”

The 54 countries were gathered, on November 1 and 2, 2023, for the first ever AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, UK. The historic setting is where Alan Turing cracked Nazi Germany’s ciphers.

The declaration highlights “the urgent need to collectively understand and manage AI’s potential risks” through “a new global effort.” The 54 signing countries thus pledged to promote international cooperation on the issue and draw up protective national policies. “This is the first time the world gathers to identify problems and promote opportunities” associated with AI, said Michelle Donelan, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

On the eve of the summit, October 31, 2023, several “founding fathers” of AI published an open letter calling for “drafting and signing an international treaty on AI,” in order to reduce “the potentially catastrophic risks these advanced systems pose to humanity.” Two more international summits on AI are scheduled: the first in South Korea, in six months, and the second in France, in a year. They should bring together, at the very least, the same participants.