UK PM Rishi Sunak warns against rush to regulate AI before understanding its risks

Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, has issued a warning against hastily regulating artificial intelligence (AI) before fully understanding its potential risks. He asserts that only governments are equipped to address the risks posed by AI. This technology, he warns, could simplify the construction of chemical or biological weapons, propagate fear, and in the worst-case scenario, elude human control.

Sunak has organized a global conference next week to scrutinize the risks associated with AI. He hopes that the attendees can reach a consensus on the nature of these risks and form a global panel to evaluate them. The UK plans to establish an AI safety institute to examine, assess, and test new forms of AI. The goal is to comprehend the capabilities of each new model, exploring all risks ranging from social harms like bias and misinformation to the most extreme dangers.

The conference will be held at Bletchley Park, a historical site in southern England where British code-breakers operated during World War Two, on November 1 and 2. Representatives from AI companies, political leaders, and experts are expected to attend. Sunak warns that if we fail to properly regulate AI, it could facilitate the creation of chemical or biological weapons. In the most unlikely but severe cases, there's even a risk that humanity could lose control of AI entirely. Sunak envisions the UK as a global leader in AI safety, carving out a role in the post-Brexit era amidst the competing economic blocs of the United States, China, and the European Union.