A group of influential members of parliament (MPs) in the United Kingdom have advised the government to collaborate with democratic allies to address the potential misuse of artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing London’s aim to be a key player in advancing the emerging technology.
On Aug. 31, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (SITC), an advisory body to the government, recommended in a report that Britain aligns with similar nations sharing democratic values. This collaboration aims to collectively safeguard against actors, whether state-affiliated or not, who seek to misuse AI for their objectives.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intends to convene a summit in early November, bringing together global leaders and tech leaders at Bletchley Park, a historic World War Two code-breaking center. The goal is to establish guidelines for AI, enabling the U.K. to assume a more substantial role in both regulating and becoming a central hub for the AI industry.
Today we have published an interim report for our inquiry examining the governance of artificial intelligence: https://t.co/665kodakiZ pic.twitter.com/hPLJ14bh2w
— Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (@CommonsSITC) August 31, 2023
The report highlights AI’s capacity to spread deepfakes, which could deceive the public and the risk of misuse in developing new biological and chemical weapons as concerns that malicious actors may leverage.
Lately, the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee has been urging the government to abandon proposals that would grant AI developers unrestricted access to train their systems using pre-existing music, literature and art. In a different report dated August 30, the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee cautioned that the government’s initial proposal to exempt AI-driven text and data mining from copyright protections could potentially diminish the value of arts and culture, relegating them to mere ‘resources’ for AI advancement.
Within the government, discussions have arisen regarding the inclusion of China in the November meeting. This gathering is set to convene Group of Seven leaders and industry executives, as reported by Bloomberg, citing sources knowledgeable about the matter.
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According to the SITC report, it is advised that the government drafts an AI bill for deliberation during the upcoming session of Parliament, commencing on November 7. Failure to do so could result in the UK falling behind other legislative efforts, notably the ongoing discussions concerning the EU’s AI Act.
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