A “vanity jamboree’ with ‘two legends in one frame’ facilitated by an ‘eager chat show host’. No, these are not excerpts from that one episode of Graham Norton that saw Sylvester Stallone sock Norton in the jaw; instead, they are just some of the responses to the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK last week. For all the glitz, glamour, and A-list guests, it cannot be denied that the conference itself was not a failure. Yet the summit has not absolved PM Rishi Sunak from political pressures at home, and he will need a few more interviews with Elon Musk to convince the UK public to vote Conservative at the next General Election.
The main achievement of the summit was China’s participation in it, without which Musk argued would make the event a ‘moot’ situation. Sunak was highly criticised for extending the invite to Xi Jinping’s government, but defended himself by arguing that international cooperation was vital in effectively addressing the threat of AI. If China’s attendance and commitment to the ‘Bletchley Declaration’ alongside 27 other nations was the unexpected cake, then Musk’s strange sit-down with Sunak was the optical cherry on top. However, the 51-minute-long interview was more characterised by mutual complementation and the exchange of platitudes than with tackling the inherent dangers of AI technology.
The exchange was undeniably surface-level, but we should not “let perfect be the enemy of the good,” as Ciaran Martin, a Professor at the University of Oxford, notes. The event itself was the first international summit on Artificial Intelligence and the attendance of approximately 100 world leaders, AI experts, and prominent tech organisations, signals that this issue is starting to be taken seriously at an international level. Moreover, Sunak’s enthusiasm for the project was evident, for all his posturing as the charismatic ‘chat show host’ with Musk, his speech on the second day was well-received for its ambition vested in the State of AI Science report and balanced caution in recognising that collaboration on AI is an ‘ongoing international process’. In short, the optics of the summit were outstanding.
However, there were some notable absences from the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz not being in attendance. Furthermore, the US’ Vice President Kamala Harris came to the meeting with an already-formed executive order detailing the country’s individual plans to tackle the threat of AI, demonstrating that even at the UK’s own conference it was unable to dictate the agenda. The UK’s inability to firmly assert its presence on the international stage has been met with a multitude of domestic problems for Sunak’s party. The Conservatives are currently trailing 18 points behind the Labour Party and Sunak himself is embroiled in the ongoing Covid inquiry that recently heard former PM Boris Johnson label Sunak’s Treasury as a ‘pro-death squad’ during the pandemic.
The image of Sunak’s premiership has been marred since his accession, with the small boats crisis and the ongoing cost of living crisis being just two examples. Whilst he may hope to focus his legacy on positioning Britain as being at the forefront of tackling the threats of AI across the world, it will take more than one flashy summit to absolve Sunak from responsibility for the current situation at home. This summit cannot be viewed in isolation; and frankly, even if this was the case, the US’ executive order and the absence of key international leaders conclude that Sunak’s Britain is not the giant he claims it to be. While the conference was undeniably a sign of good progress, it was a long way from perfect.
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves for PMQ’s” by UK Prime Minister is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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AI Safety Summit recap: Sunak displays more style than substance
A “vanity jamboree’ with ‘two legends in one frame’ facilitated by an ‘eager chat show host’. No, these are not excerpts from that one episode of Graham Norton that saw Sylvester Stallone sock Norton in the jaw; instead, they are just some of the responses to the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK last week. For all the glitz, glamour, and A-list guests, it cannot be denied that the conference itself was not a failure. Yet the summit has not absolved PM Rishi Sunak from political pressures at home, and he will need a few more interviews with Elon Musk to convince the UK public to vote Conservative at the next General Election.
The main achievement of the summit was China’s participation in it, without which Musk argued would make the event a ‘moot’ situation. Sunak was highly criticised for extending the invite to Xi Jinping’s government, but defended himself by arguing that international cooperation was vital in effectively addressing the threat of AI. If China’s attendance and commitment to the ‘Bletchley Declaration’ alongside 27 other nations was the unexpected cake, then Musk’s strange sit-down with Sunak was the optical cherry on top. However, the 51-minute-long interview was more characterised by mutual complementation and the exchange of platitudes than with tackling the inherent dangers of AI technology.
The exchange was undeniably surface-level, but we should not “let perfect be the enemy of the good,” as Ciaran Martin, a Professor at the University of Oxford, notes. The event itself was the first international summit on Artificial Intelligence and the attendance of approximately 100 world leaders, AI experts, and prominent tech organisations, signals that this issue is starting to be taken seriously at an international level. Moreover, Sunak’s enthusiasm for the project was evident, for all his posturing as the charismatic ‘chat show host’ with Musk, his speech on the second day was well-received for its ambition vested in the State of AI Science report and balanced caution in recognising that collaboration on AI is an ‘ongoing international process’. In short, the optics of the summit were outstanding.
However, there were some notable absences from the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz not being in attendance. Furthermore, the US’ Vice President Kamala Harris came to the meeting with an already-formed executive order detailing the country’s individual plans to tackle the threat of AI, demonstrating that even at the UK’s own conference it was unable to dictate the agenda. The UK’s inability to firmly assert its presence on the international stage has been met with a multitude of domestic problems for Sunak’s party. The Conservatives are currently trailing 18 points behind the Labour Party and Sunak himself is embroiled in the ongoing Covid inquiry that recently heard former PM Boris Johnson label Sunak’s Treasury as a ‘pro-death squad’ during the pandemic.
The image of Sunak’s premiership has been marred since his accession, with the small boats crisis and the ongoing cost of living crisis being just two examples. Whilst he may hope to focus his legacy on positioning Britain as being at the forefront of tackling the threats of AI across the world, it will take more than one flashy summit to absolve Sunak from responsibility for the current situation at home. This summit cannot be viewed in isolation; and frankly, even if this was the case, the US’ executive order and the absence of key international leaders conclude that Sunak’s Britain is not the giant he claims it to be. While the conference was undeniably a sign of good progress, it was a long way from perfect.
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves for PMQ’s” by UK Prime Minister is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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