British Prime Minister, AI company leaders vow to work together so society can benefit from the technology

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with leaders of multiple AI companies on Wednesday to discuss ways to work together to ensure the technology rolls out safely and for the benefit of society.

Sunak hosted Sam Altman of OpenAI, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Dario Amodei of Anthropic at his office on Wednesday, where they discussed risks posed by AI including national security, disinformation and existential threats.

The group, which also included the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Chloe Smith, also talked about safety measures, voluntary actions that labs are considering to manage the risks, and possible avenues for international collaboration on AI safety and regulation.

Sunak turned to Twitter after the meeting, saying, “Done safely and securely, AI has the potential to be transformational and grow the economy.”

HUMANS MUST HAVE CONTROL OF AI, EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CHIEF CAUTIONS

In a press release, Sunak’s office said the success of the technology is based on having the right guardrails in place, so the public can be confident AI is used in a safe and responsible way.

Hassabis also posted to social media after the meeting.

“Had a good conversation with @RishiSunak and others at @10DowningStreet on developing AI responsibility,” he said. “AI has the potential to improve life dramatically, transform industries, [and] deliver scientific and medical breakthroughs if government and industry work together.”

While tech leaders in the field have highlighted AI advancements to make strides in organization, health care, music, science and other fields, others have warned and worried about its impact on jobs and the people who need them. 

The meeting comes a day after Esther Lynch, the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, warned that humans must stay in control of artificial intelligence technology.