Kamala Harris Proposes AI Security Initiative And Warns Of Existential Threats At Conference In London

Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris (photo: Twitter @VP)

JAKARTA - The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, on Wednesday, November 1 proposed urgent action to protect society and democracy from the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI). She also proposed a series of initiatives to address security concerns regarding the technology.

In a speech at the United States Embassy in London, Harris spoke about the dangers that AI could pose to individuals and Western political systems.

"This technology has the potential to create cyberattacks on a scale we have never seen before" or "AI-formulated bioweapons that could threaten the lives of millions of people," she said.

"These threats are often referred to as 'existential threats from AI', because they can threaten human existence itself," added Harris, as quoted by VOI from Reuters.

The United States on Wednesday announced plans to establish a new AI Safety Institute, which will assess potential risks. The UK also announced a similar initiative last week.

The timing of her speech was questioned by some British executives and lawmakers, who suggested that Washington was trying to upstage Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's AI Safety Summit, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Harris has invited a number of research groups to join her at a closed-door event at the embassy in London on Wednesday, according to two sources, so some attendees may have to leave the conference at Bletchley Park early.

“This is a huge problem, and it disrupts the core focus here,” said Sachin Dev Duggal, founder of London-based AI company Builder.ai.

Harris' speech made only brief reference to events in Britain, which she will attend on Thursday.

British officials denied there were any concerns, however, saying they wanted more voices to have a say in the debate.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing if the United States announced policy simultaneously with this conference," a source from Britain's technology department told Reuters. "Of course, we would prefer if guests didn't have to leave early."

Threats to Democracy

In her speech, Harris urged to define AI security with a broader scope, including the “full spectrum” of threats, including bias, discrimination and the spread of disinformation.

Examples she gave include elderly people being denied healthcare due to faulty AI algorithms or women being threatened by abusive partners with fake, explicit photos.

"When people around the world are unable to distinguish fact from fiction due to a flood of AI-enabled myths and disinformation, I ask, is that not existential for democracy?" she said.

Harris' speech came after United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday to provide greater oversight by the United States government of AI systems that could pose risks to national security, the economy, public health or safety.

The new United States AI Security Institute will share information and collaborate on research with peer institutions at the international level, including the UK's planned AI Security Institute.

Harris also said 30 countries had agreed to sign a political declaration sponsored by the United States regarding the use of AI by national militaries.