Articles

4 key takeaways from the AI Safety Summit

George Denison

|November 8, 2023

Last week's AI Safety Summit was a momentous occasion. Experts, policymakers, and industry leaders came together to discuss how we can make sure AI evolves in a way that’s safe and beneficial for everyone.

As Prolific plays a pivotal role in the AI data supply chain, many of the points raised resonated with us strongly. Here are our top takeaways from the event.

Our top 4 takeaways from the AI Safety Summit

1. To reduce risks, the world needs to work together

AI transcends borders. So international collaboration isn’t just preferable - it’s essential.

Governments, businesses, and people from across the world will need to work together to mitigate AI risks. We’re committed to being an integral part of this global endeavour.

2. Diversity is the key to defeating bias

AI must work for people from all backgrounds. We can’t let our existing human biases become entrenched in the models we create.

So we need to make sure AI models are inclusive and trained using diverse samples. Together, we can build AI that serves everyone.

3. Specialists will help us tackle AI challenges

It’s not just countries that will need to collaborate. Companies, academics, and experts in specialist areas must join forces to tackle AI safety challenges. This means pooling knowledge and insights from niche domains.

4. Research will be the foundation of safe AI

Science and research must be the bedrock of AI policy. As AI evolves, we’ll need to ground our efforts in empirical evidence. A scientific and practical approach will help us address AI risks and challenges.

Key takeaways from Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak echoed many of these themes in his Prime Minister’s speech and conversation with Elon Musk.

His outlook on the future of AI was positive. “Safely harnessing this technology could eclipse anything we have ever known,” he said. But he also spoke about risks, ranging from bias and fake news to misuse by bad actors and losing control of AI entirely.

His speech touched on the need for open, inclusive talks to fully grasp the potential of these risks. “Until this week, the world did not even have a shared understanding of the risks,” he explained. “Yesterday, we agreed and published the first ever international statement about the nature of all those risks.”

Building on the G7 commitment, he also said that most AI models are tested by the companies that create them - and this needs to change. “Governments [will] establish world-leading AI Safety Institutes with the public sector capability to test the most advanced frontier models,” he said. “We will work together on testing the safety of new AI models before they are released.”

How Prolific is helping to harness AI responsibly

Discussions around AI safety can end up fixating on long-term existential risks, from mass unemployment to nuclear warfare.

But the talks at the AI Safety Summit highlighted that there are more immediate concerns which we can - and should - address today. We need to ensure AI doesn’t reinforce our existing human biases and serves to the benefit of everyone. AI models must be trained on human data so outputs are accurate and safe. And the people who provide this data must be treated and compensated fairly.

Prolific is playing a pivotal role in making this happen. We’re already working with frontier models, as well as companies entering the AI space, to build the right guardrails for responsible AI development.

We firmly advocate for clear governance around AI workers and standards to safeguard their well-being. Our minimum payment threshold ensures that AI taskers are paid ethically for their contributions. And our diverse pool provides a rich and balanced dataset that’s less prone to bias.

The AI Safety Summit demonstrated how AI can be a transformative force for good worldwide. Let's seize this opportunity, work together locally and globally, and ensure the way we use and develop AI is safe and responsible.