In anticipation of the AI Safety Summit scheduled to commence tomorrow morning at Bletchley Park, just outside London, the U.K. government has provided additional information today about the event’s attendees. The release of this list follows weeks of speculation and criticism surrounding concerns that the event’s lineup, both in terms of the topics and participants, might not adequately represent the diverse stakeholders and issues involved.
The organizers have outlined some of the key topics that will be the focus of discussions during the event. These topics include the notion of catastrophic risks associated with AI, strategies for identifying and addressing these risks, and the establishment of a shared understanding of “frontier AI.”
Depending on one’s perception of the proximity of these risks to reality, some of these concepts may seem abstract and less connected to the more immediate and specific concerns people have raised regarding AI’s current role. For instance, AI’s impact on misinformation and its potential to aid malicious hackers in breaching networks.
As mentioned in a previous update, the U.K. aims to use this event, which is the first of its kind, to establish a prominent position for itself in the AI landscape. This involves positioning itself as a hub for AI businesses and asserting its authority in the broader field of AI.
Given the event’s focus on potential issues and the fact that it serves as an opportunity for positive public relations, it appears to be a platform for the government to showcase itself in a favorable light, especially in a period marked by declining poll ratings and a challenging inquiry into its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the U.K. does possess the qualifications to warrant its presence at this forum, and its involvement is driven by its strong position in the field.
The guest list predominantly comprises organizations and participants from the U.K., shedding light on notable exclusions.
Among the 46 academic and civil society institutions are national universities like Oxford and Birmingham (though Cambridge is notably absent). International institutions such as Stanford and certain U.S. universities (notably MIT) are participating, along with China’s Academy of Sciences. Renowned groups like the Alan Turing Institute, the Ada Lovelace Institute, the Mozilla Foundation, and the Rand Corporation are also in attendance.
Countries represented include the U.S. (with Vice President Kamala Harris as the representative), several European nations (though none from the Nordics), Ukraine (unlike Russia, which is under sanctions), and Brazil as the sole Latin American representative among several nations from the Global South.
The list of 40 businesses features major players like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce, though notable absences include Apple and Amazon (although AWS will be present). OpenAI and Elon Musk’s X AI will also participate, as will key players in the processor industry, such as ARM, Nvidia, and Graphcore, alongside several startups. Additionally, a few multilateral organizations, including the United Nations and some of its agencies, are part of the event.
