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Sir Jeremy Fleming gave ministers a 'lucid' analysis of the 'potential applications and risks' GCHQ chief Sir Jeremy Fleming has warned ministers about the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI), amid growing debate over how to regulate this fast-developing technology. Sir Jeremy, who was addressing the cabinet along with the government's chief scientific adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, spoke of the "potential applications and risks" of AI.
Downing Street gave few details about the specific risks warned by the GCHQ chief, but said the update was a "lucid look at the potential of things like misinformation and how important people are about it."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used the same cabinet meeting on Tuesday to stress the importance of AI for national security and the UK economy, the No. 10 said.
A reading from the meeting said ministers "agreed on the transformative potential of AI and the vital importance of maintaining public confidence in its use and the need for regulation that keeps people safe without impeding innovation." .
“The Prime Minister concluded the Cabinet by saying that given the importance of AI to our economy and national security, this could be one of the most important policies we will pursue in the coming years. That's why we have to get it right. "added the reading.
Asked if the potential for an existential threat to humanity from AI had been considered, the Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "We are well aware of the potential risks posed by the general artificiality of intelligence."
The spokesman said that Michelle Donelan's Science Department was leading the way on this issue, but that government policy was to have "appropriate and flexible regulation that can evolve rapidly to deal with what technology is evolving."
"As expected by the public, we seek to make the most of opportunities but also protect ourselves against potential risk," the spokesperson added.
The government has used the recent update to the integrated review to launch a new AI-focused government-industry task force on the issue, inspired by the vaccine task force used during the Covid pandemic.
Last month, Italy said it would temporarily block ChatGPT artificial intelligence software amid a global debate about the power of these new tools.
The artificial intelligence systems that power these chatbots, known as large language models, can mimic human writing styles based on the vast amounts of e-books and online writing they have ingested.
Mr Sunak, who created a new science, innovation and technology department in a Whitehall shakeup earlier this year, is known for his enthusiasm for turning the UK into a scientific 'superpower'.
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