Halt super-intelligent AI with non-proliferation treaty, Ed Davey to say

At the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, Ed Davey, the party leader, plans to propose a global AI safety treaty in his keynote address. Accusing Andy Burnham of relying on Donald Trump and "tech bros" to tackle the issue, Davey will warn that a "nuclear-style non-proliferation treaty" is needed to halt the development of super-intelligent AI, comparing it to a nuclear arms race that could "destroy us all".

The Lib Dem leader is expected to call for a new international AI safety agency, modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), headquartered in the UK, to police the risks of artificial intelligence. Davey will express concern that AI development is being decided by a "tiny number of the richest and most powerful in California and in Beijing" with no safeguards in place.

He will argue that as liberals, the party cannot leave such an existential threat to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, or Elon Musk. Davey's speech comes amid criticism that the party lacks vision, with the prime minister recently announcing a new AI partnership with the US.