World leaders are set to gather virtually for the AI Seoul Summit to discuss the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence. Following the inaugural AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, participating countries agreed to work together to address the potential dangers of advanced AI technologies. The two-day meeting, co-hosted by the South Korean and U.K. governments, aims to explore ways to contain risks while promoting innovation and inclusivity in the AI sector. Major tech companies such as Meta, OpenAI, and Google will also be showcasing their latest AI models during the summit.
The agenda for the AI Seoul Summit has been expanded to focus on not only AI safety issues but also on innovation and inclusivity. Participants will discuss the positive aspects of AI and how it can contribute to humanity in a balanced manner. The outcomes of these discussions will be included in the AI agreement, according to Park Sang-wook, senior presidential adviser for science and technology for President Yoon. Leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies, along with representatives from Australia, Singapore, the U.N., the EU, and major tech companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon, have been invited to the virtual summit. However, China has decided not to participate in the virtual summit but will send a representative to Wednesday’s in-person meeting.
Yoon and Sunak, in a joint article, expressed their intention to ask companies to demonstrate how they assess and respond to risks within their organizations, especially in light of new AI models being released almost every week. The leaders acknowledged the risks posed by AI, including deliberate misuse, and emphasized the need to learn where these risks may emerge and how to manage them effectively. The Seoul meeting has been described as a mini virtual summit, serving as an interim gathering until a full-fledged, in-person summit that France has committed to hosting.
Governments worldwide are racing to develop regulations for AI as the technology advances rapidly and threatens to disrupt various aspects of daily life. Concerns have been raised about the potential impact of AI on employment, misinformation, and privacy. Developers of powerful AI systems are collaborating to establish shared approaches to setting AI safety standards. Facebook’s Meta Platforms and Amazon have joined the Frontier Model Forum, a group founded by Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. The U.N. General Assembly approved its first resolution on the safe use of AI systems in March, while the U.S. and China recently held high-level talks on AI in Geneva to discuss shared standards for managing the risks associated with AI technology.
