India, EU and 27 nations ink first-ever global pact to mitigate AI risks

AI offers vast global opportunities, with the potential to revolutionise and elevate human welfare, peace, and prosperity.

India, along with 27 other nations, including the US and the UK, and the European Union, has signed a declaration, committing to collaborate on the evaluation of risks associated with artificial intelligence at a summit in the UK, as concerns grow over the disruption that AI can cause.

The declaration was signed on the opening day of the "AI Safety Summit 2023" at the historic Bletchley Park in the UK on November 1. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the Bletchley Declaration.as a landmark achievement that brought together the world’s leading AI powers to recognise the urgency of comprehending the risks associated with the technology. The joint effort was vital for securing the long-term well-being of future generations, Sunka said.

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“We welcome the international community’s efforts so far to cooperate on AI to promote inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and innovation, to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to foster public trust and confidence in AI systems to fully realise their potential,” the declaration read.

“Alongside these opportunities, AI also poses significant risks, including in those domains of daily life. To that end, we welcome relevant international efforts to examine and address the potential impact of AI systems in existing fora and other relevant initiatives, and the recognition that the protection of human rights, transparency and explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, safety, appropriate human oversight, ethics, bias mitigation, privacy and data protection needs to be addressed.”

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AI offers vast global opportunities, with the potential to revolutionise and elevate human welfare, peace, and prosperity. The Bletchley Declaration underscored the significance of AI across various facets of daily life, encompassing areas such as housing, employment, transportation, education, healthcare, accessibility, and justice. It recognized that the utilisation of AI in these domains is poised to expand in the future.

“We recognise that this is, therefore, a unique moment to act and affirm the need for the safe development of AI and for the transformative opportunities of AI to be used for good and for all, in an inclusive manner in our countries and globally,” the declaration read.

Many risks arising from AI are inherently international in nature and so are best addressed through international cooperation. The governments involved have agreed to work together to ensure that AI is developed with a focus on being human centred, dependable, and responsible. They will give priority to safety and the well-being of society as a whole. This collaborative effort will occur through existing international channels and other relevant initiatives, allowing them to collectively address the various risks associated with AI.