The Biden administration will hold a global safety summit focused on artificial intelligence, it said on Wednesday (September 18).
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will host the event on November 20 – 21, bringing together a network of members including Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Singapore, Britain, and the United States.
It will be the first meeting of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes and will be held in San Francisco. It was back in May when the institute was first launched, with a focus on prioritizing AI safety, innovation, and inclusivity.
The upcoming meeting aims to jumpstart technical collaboration ahead of the AI Action Summit which will take place in Paris in February 2025. It’ll include technical experts from each member’s AI safety institute, or equivalent government-based scientific office.
The institute was set up to “enable a future in which we realize AI’s full potential to benefit humanity and the planet,” with the National Institute of Standards and Technology describing it as being “crucial” to “encourage innovation in this transformative technology while mitigating its risks.”
US introduces AI-focused task force
It was in October 2023 when President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order to establish new standards for AI safety and security while protecting privacy, promoting innovation and competition, advancing equity and civil rights, and standing up for consumers and workers.
The order marked one of the most sweeping actions ever taken since the rise of AI. It came after concerns had arisen from a range of industries about the use of the technology and the impact it will have on their careers, livelihoods, and day-to-day life.
Since then, the US has made several moves to further ensure policy around AI and its widespread adoption can take place.
Just two weeks ago, on September 5, the US, United Kingdom, and European Union, among others, signed the world’s first international treaty on AI safeguards.
On September 12, another AI-focused scheme was launched to deal with the growing needs of AI infrastructure in the US. A new task force has been formed including some of the biggest players in the industry.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, Google’s senior executive Ruth Porat, and Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei were amongst the technology company representatives who attended the meeting with the government.
Featured Image: Midjourney