European Union Considers Participation in UK Artificial Intelligence Summit

The Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, has received an official AI meeting invitation. (photo: twitter @VeraJourova)

JAKARTA - The European Union is considering whether to send its officials to an upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) safety meeting in the UK. This decision comes as the bloc is close to completing comprehensive AI legislation that is the first of its kind in the world.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will host the summit in November which will bring together governments, technology companies and academics to discuss the risks posed by AI technology.

However, the list of invitees has been kept secret, and some companies have refused to confirm whether they have been invited.

The Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, has received an official invitation to the meeting. "We are now considering the potential participation of the European Union," said a spokesperson for the European Commission, as quoted by Reuters.

While Sunak hopes to position the UK as a global leader in regulating the fast-evolving technology, the European Union is close to launching its own AI Act, the world's first such legislation.

Under the bloc's upcoming regulations, organizations using AI systems deemed high risk by the bloc will be required to log their activities, complete rigorous risk assessments, and make some internal data available to authorities.

However, the Financial Times reports that British government officials prefer a less “harsh” approach to AI regulation than that proposed by the European Union.

Technology expert Matt Clifford and former senior diplomat Jonathan Black have been appointed to lead preparations for the meeting. Last month, Clifford told Reuters he hoped the meeting would set the "tone" for future international debates on AI regulation.

Although a number of world leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, are expected to attend the meeting, much remains unknown about who has been invited or accepted an invitation.

The British government was recently forced to defend its decision to invite China to the meeting.

The country's finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, told Politico: "If you're trying to create a structure that makes AI something that ultimately provides a net benefit to humanity, then you can't just ignore the world's second-largest economy."