However, he notes that while the potential for harm in AI usage is disputed, “we must not put heads in the sand,” over AI risks.
Sunak notes that the technology is already creating new job opportunities and that its advancement would catalyze economic growth and productivity, though he acknowledged that it would have an impact on the labor market.
“The responsible thing for me to do is to address those fears head on, giving you the peace of mind that we will keep you safe, while making sure you and your children have all the opportunities for a better future that AI can bring[…]Doing the right thing, not the easy thing, means being honest with people about the risks from these technologies,” Sunak stated. On Wednesday, the government had released documents highlighting the risks of AI.
Existential risks from the technology cannot be ruled out, according to one research on the future risks of frontier AI, the term given to frontier AI systems will be discussed at the summit.
“Given the significant uncertainty in predicting AI developments, there is insufficient evidence to rule out that highly capable Frontier AI systems, if misaligned or inadequately controlled, could pose an existential threat.”
The paper also presents several concerning scenarios about the advancement of AI.
One warns of the potential backlash from the public, as their jobs are being taken by AI. “AI systems are deemed technically safe by many users … but they are nevertheless causing impacts like increased unemployment and poverty,” says the paper, creating a “fierce public debate about the future of education and work”.
In another case mentioned in the document, dubbed as the ‘Wild West,’ the illicit use of AI to commit fraud and scams leads to social instability as a result of numerous victims of organized crime, widespread trade secret theft by enterprises, and an increase in the amount of AI-generated content that clogs the internet.
“This could lead to ‘personalised’ disinformation, where bespoke messages are targeted at individuals rather than larger groups and are therefore more persuasive,” said the discussion document, cautioning of the potential decrease in public trust when it comes to factual information and in civic processes like elections.
“Frontier AI can be misused to deliberately spread false information to create disruption, persuade people on political issues, or cause other forms of harm or damage,” it says. In regards to the documents, Mr. Sunak added that among the aforementioned risks outlined in the document was also a risk of AI being used by terrorist groups, "to spread fear and disruption on an even greater scale."
He notes that reducing the danger of AI causing the extinction of humans should be a "global priority".
However, he stated: "This is not a risk that people need to be losing sleep over right now and I don't want to be alarmist." He said that, on the whole, he was "optimistic" about AI's capacity to improve people's lives.
The disruption AI is already causing in the workplace is a threat that many will be far more familiar with.
Mr. Sunak emphasized how effectively AI technologies do administrative duties that are typically performed by an employee manually, such as drafting contracts and assisting in decision-making.
He added that technology has always changed how people generate money and that education is the best way to prepare individuals for the shifting market. For example, automation has already altered the nature of employment in factories and warehouses, but it has not completely eliminated human involvement.
The prime minister encouraged people to see artificial intelligence as a "co-pilot" in the day-to-day operations of the workplace, saying it was oversimplified to suggest the technology will "take people's jobs".