Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, at Bletchley Park in the UK. Bloomberg
Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, at Bletchley Park in the UK. Bloomberg
Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, at Bletchley Park in the UK. Bloomberg
Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, at Bletchley Park in the UK. Bloomberg

Bletchley Declaration targets 'harms' in a new age of AI


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

In the Bletchley Declaration issued in the UK on Wednesday, 28 countries, including the UAE, endorsed proposals for tackling the potential catastrophic harms, either deliberate or unintentional, from the fast-developing AI industry.

The UK's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said Britain's “historic leadership in overseeing the development of new technologies” would be entrenched by a follow-up meeting hosted by France.

The “Bletchley declaration on AI safety”, agreed by 28 countries, commits to a global approach to addressing the risks of AI and to “deepening our understanding of the emerging risks of frontier AI”, and will form a starting point for an ongoing dialogue.

The document committed countries to identify AI safety risks of shared concern and to work together to ensure safety to address those dangers. It said the process would commit developers and promoters of new systems at the frontiers of progress to transparently measure, monitor and mitigate the impact of their work.

"Actors developing frontier AI capabilities, in particular those AI systems which are unusually powerful and potentially harmful, have a particularly strong responsibility for ensuring the safety of these AI systems, including through systems for safety testing, through evaluations, and by other appropriate measures," the declaration said.

Alongside bias and privacy issues, the declaration identifies cybersecurity, biotechnology and misinformation risks as the main area of concern.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the declaration would kickstart a global process to make AI safe for all. “This is a landmark achievement that sees the world’s greatest AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI – helping ensure the long-term future of our children and grandchildren," he said.

In a rare example of a meeting hosted by the West that included the US and China, the participants underlined the importance of staying engaged on the issue.

"We resolve to sustain an inclusive global dialogue that engages existing international fora and other relevant initiatives and contributes in an open manner to broader international discussions, and to continue research on frontier AI safety to ensure that the benefits of the technology can be harnessed," it said.

Alongside the host plus the US and China, countries endorsing the declaration include Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. South Korea will host the next global AI Safety Summit in six months' time and the third gathering will be hosted by France in a year's time.

During the Second World War, British codebreakers at Bletchley Park, including Alan Turing, used early forms of computer intelligence to break the Enigma code used by the Nazis to encrypt messages.

The discovery changed the course of the conflict, saving millions of lives.

United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, left, with British Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan at Bletchley Park. EPA
United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, left, with British Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan at Bletchley Park. EPA

Their work enabled British intelligence to act upon the information the Bletchley team gave them, contributing to several vital military victories during the war.

It also sparked the industrialisation of codebreaking and paved the way for the first forms of computers used today.

“What happened at Bletchley Park 80 years ago opened the door to the new information age,” Ms Donelan said before the summit.

“And what happens there this week will open the door to a new age of AI.”

Bletchley Park was confirmed as the location for the summit earlier this year because of the UK's history as “home to transformative technologies of the future”, Mr Sunak said.

He added there was “no better place” to host the first summit on global AI safety.

A permanent exhibition of the event will be placed at Bletchley after the two-day event, which the government hopes will produce an international statement about the nature of AI risks, offering the first globally agreed response to the technology.

Who is attending the event?

US Vice President Kamala Harris attended the summit through a series of engagements in London including meeting Mr Sunak.

The UAE, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine and the US were among the attending governments.

Executives from tech companies Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony attended, alongside AI businesses including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Google DeepMind.

Elon Musk during the UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. AFP
Elon Musk during the UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. AFP

Elon Musk, the SpaceX, Tesla and X owner, is to stream a conversation with Mr Sunak on Thursday night, after the summit's conclusion. "I think there's a lot of concern among people in the AI field that the government will sort of jump the gun on rules, before knowing what to do," he said before meeting Mr Sunak.

In a video address King Charles called AI one of the "greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour", praising the technology’s enormous potential to transform the lives of citizens around the world through better treatments for conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

The monarch also spoke of the "clear imperative to ensure that this rapidly evolving technology remains safe and secure".

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

Three ways to get a gratitude glow

By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.

  • During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
  • As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
  • In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Updated: November 01, 2023, 2:11 PM`