Elon Musk to Meet with Rishi Sunak at Downing Street

Elon Musk will be heading to Downing Street today to hold talks with Rishi Sunak. This meeting follows the prime minister’s AI safety summit, which took place at Bletchley Park and began on Wednesday. The summit saw participating countries endorse an agreement to manage the risks posed by AI technology. China and the US, the leading AI powers, were among the 28 countries that supported the Bletchley Declaration.

The declaration emphasized the importance of international cooperation in researching the safety of frontier AI models, which some experts, including Musk, believe could pose a threat to humanity in the future. While the agreement was considered a landmark achievement by Sunak, critics argue that it lacked concrete regulatory approaches or measures to address present concerns such as job losses and misinformation.

During the summit, leading AI experts and civil society organizations expressed the need for greater urgency in regulating AI. Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan defended the government’s approach, stating that hypothetical risks should not be taken lightly. Donelan also highlighted the establishment of international offices by leading AI firms in the UK as evidence of the government’s commitment to finding the right balance between safety and innovation.

Furthermore, the presence of the Chinese government at the summit was seen as significant, as it was the first time China participated in discussions about AI safety with American and European counterparts. Global collaboration was deemed essential to mitigate the risks associated with AI, particularly as China has already developed powerful AI models and maintains close control over its AI companies.

The meeting between Musk and Sunak will take place after the summit concludes. It will be livestreamed on X (formerly Twitter). The two have expressed differing views on AI regulation, with Musk advocating for a “third-party referee” to oversee the sector, while Sunak has expressed caution, emphasizing the need to balance regulation with innovation.