The United Kingdom has set a date and location for the long-anticipated first global summit on artificial intelligence. On November 1 and 2, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will host world and business leaders at the renowned Bletchley Park, where Nazi codes were decrypted during World War II.
In June, Sunak announced the summit during a visit to Washington. Attendees, including scientists, will discuss the possibilities and risks of AI.
“With the combined power of our international partners, flourishing AI industry, and expert academic community, we can ensure the rapid international action we need for the safe and responsible development of AI worldwide,” the government stated in a press release on Thursday.
“No country will be spared by AI, and no country will be able to solve the challenges that this technology brings on its own,” said Foreign Minister James Cleverly.
Bletchley Park, a mansion in northern London, now serves primarily as a museum. However, during the war, British mathematician and ‘father of computer science’ Alan Turing worked on his ‘Enigma’ machine there. He used it to crack codes used by German submarines in the North Atlantic Ocean. According to some historians, this was a crucial step towards the downfall of Adolf Hitler, which might have otherwise been delayed by a year or two. Turing’s story inspired the film ‘The Imitation Game,’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
