Leading technology companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, have united under a significant international accord for artificial intelligence (AI) safety measures, established at the Seoul AI Safety Summit on Tuesday 21st May 2024.
Following the agreement, firms from various nations, including the UK, China, Canada, the U.S., France, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, have pledged to voluntarily commit to the secure development of their cutting-edge AI models.
Framework
AI model developers who have not already done so agreed to issue safety frameworks that detail how they will address the challenges posed by their advanced models, including the prevention of technology misuse by malicious entities.
These frameworks will feature ‘red lines’ that tech companies will establish to delineate the types of risks associated with advanced AI systems that are deemed ‘unacceptable.’ These risks encompass, but are not limited to, automated cyberattacks and the potential for bioweapons.
Kill switch
In the event of such dire scenarios, companies have declared their intention to introduce a ‘kill switch’ that would halt the development of their AI models should they be unable to ensure the mitigation of these risks.
“It is unprecedented for so many prominent AI firms from diverse regions of the world to concur on identical commitments regarding AI safety,” Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister reportedly said on Tuesday 21st May 2024.
He further noted that these commitments would guarantee that the world’s foremost AI companies will maintain transparency and accountability concerning their safe AI development strategies.
This agreement builds upon a prior set of pledges made in November 2023 by entities engaged in the creation of generative AI software.
The involved companies have consented to seek feedback on these standards from ‘trusted actors,’ which include their respective national governments when suitable, prior to their publication in anticipation of the forthcoming AI summit – the AI Action Summit scheduled to take place in France in early 2025.