Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting the way that people live their lives. At the heart of the current age of technology, AI innovations have led to many technological benefits such as increased efficiency in doing tasks, the ability to analyze data on large databases and using such developments to make informed decisions.

The AI Safety Summit, held in Bletchley Park, located in Milton Keynes, England, highlighted fears of creating AI with malicious intentions, or the inability to control the AI which may harm the safety of users. Many have called for increased restraints on AI technology by implementing regulations to limit the dangers that AI is capable of.

Starting on Nov. 1, 2023, the summit hosted attendees consisting of CEOs at large AI companies and world leaders. Notable faces at the conference include Elon Musk, who is the CEO and owner of companies Tesla and xAI.

The two risks that the summit focused on were the exploitation of AI for harmful uses and the lack of control over AI. Discussions within the summit tended to revolve around AI-based technologies that have potentially dangerous capabilities. Technology that encompasses frontier AI and narrow-use AI were the main scope of such technologies at the summit as both of these have abilities that could result in harmful implications.

Frontier AI is an extremely advanced foundation model that contains dangerous capabilities that could pose a threat to public safety. In contrast, narrow-use AI focuses on a specific action or topic and only follows the rules that are coded for that demand.

Currently, both Frontier AI and narrow-use AI can be exploited for hostile purposes. For example, narrow-use AI that is specifically used for bioengineering can be controlled to create dangerous pathogens that trigger epidemics and used to engage in biological warfare. However, lack of control almost exclusively affects Frontier AI. Narrow-use AI is largely unaffected because it has a set of instructions to follow, limiting the amount of change that can be made to the AI. On the other hand, Frontier AI can adapt at rapid rates beyond human control.

The summit addresses these two risks and poses solutions that attempt to reduce the chance of both risks occurring. The solution of intergovernmental cooperation was highlighted and helped to enforce the regulations placed upon AI users. Many in the conference discussed how this solution will become a stepping stone across the world, stressing that regulations could lead to a future where AI will work to benefit society.

Leaders at the summit emphasized that the AI Summit is only an initial step in the proposed direction, as a plethora of other conversations on the topic continue to occur. The summit will be held every year on a date that is selected by its board.