UK Calls for Global AI Safeguards to Prevent Future Security Threats -

Britain has called for urgent international action to establish safeguards for artificial intelligence (AI), warning that the technology could become one of the world’s biggest security challenges over the next decade if left unchecked.

In a policy article to be published by think tank Chatham House, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to urge governments to work together on global AI governance, saying the world cannot afford to wait for a major AI-related disaster before introducing effective regulation.

Cooper will compare the rapid rise of AI with the development of nuclear technology after the Second World War, arguing that international cooperation on nuclear safety only emerged after the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“On nuclear, international agreement came only after the world saw the terrifying power of the new technology at Hiroshima and asked what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands,” she will say. “We cannot afford to wait for an AI equivalent of Hiroshima before we act.”

Her warning comes amid growing international concern over the misuse of AI in cybercrime, fraud, disinformation and other security threats.

A recent United Nations report cautioned that AI could lead to “catastrophic outcomes” if governments fail to keep pace with the technology’s rapid development.

Concerns have also been raised within the technology industry.

AI company Anthropic recently restricted the release of its Mythos model over fears it could be exploited to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Cooper is expected to argue that Britain is well positioned to lead international efforts on AI safety, citing its hosting of the world’s first AI Safety Summit in 2023, which brought together political leaders, technology executives and researchers to discuss the responsible development of AI.

She will emphasise that the benefits of frontier technologies can only be fully realised if countries reach a broad international consensus on safety standards, governance and regulatory guardrails. Bloomberg-ERMD

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