EU-backed coalition vies for role in global AI order

The US, China, UK and France have so far stayed out of a new call to keep frontier systems “under human control” A group of mostly European states and middle powers is seeking to build a new global coalition on artificial intelligence, as countries outside the US-China technology race scramble to retain influence over how increasingly powerful systems are governed.Leaders representing 20 countries, alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, signed the declaration on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-level Week in New York, calling for frontier AI to remain “under human direction, oversight and control.” The initiative was spearheaded by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.The world’s two leading AI powers – the US and China – did not sign. Neither did several major European players, including the UK, France and Italy, although Germany, Spain and a number of smaller EU states joined the initiative. The statement remains open for additional endorsements.AI can improve people’s lives, advance science and strengthen our economies. At the same time, the rapid development of AI models creates risks that ...