King Charles III has warned artificial intelligence executives of the “existential dangers” of the technology falling into the wrong hands, amid warnings about the rapidly advancing capabilities of frontier AI models.
The King made the comments on Thursday at a summit he convened at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, to discuss how AI can be used to benefit society, making him the latest global leader to warn about the technology’s potential dangers.
The meeting brought together government officials, technology executives and other experts, including UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan, an adviser to the Pope and representatives from AI companies including Nvidia, OpenAI and Anthropic.
King Charles said those who developed AI technologies were increasingly warning about their potential to develop dangerous capabilities.
He said there was an “urgency” to adequately consider the risks of advanced AI falling into the wrong hands and being used in potentially catastrophic ways.
The summit was convened to consider whether participants could develop a “shared set of principles” to guide the future application of AI.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who attended the summit, said AI safety was paramount as the technology develops.
Meanwhile, Sir Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google DeepMind, said artificial general intelligence could be only a few years away.
Artificial general intelligence refers to AI systems believed to be capable of performing multiple tasks at human or above-human levels.
Hassabis said such technology could have an impact “ten times that of the Industrial Revolution”.
Concerns over the risks of increasingly capable AI systems have intensified in recent weeks, with researchers, technology executives and financial regulators raising questions about the pace of frontier AI development.
The concerns also extend beyond potential existential risks. On August 31, the Financial Stability Board warned that the impact of frontier AI on cyber risk was the most immediate AI-related concern for global financial stability, citing the potential for AI to accelerate the discovery and exploitation of cyber vulnerabilities.
The global AI race is also driving countries, including Nigeria, to invest in the infrastructure, skills and technological capabilities needed to participate in the emerging AI economy.
On September 13, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria was seeking deeper cooperation with BRICS countries on artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, technology transfer and human-capital development.
The move comes as the Federal Government looks to attract investment and strengthen domestic technological capabilities.
