On May 22, 2024, the Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced that the UK, along with 26 other countries, had signed the Seoul Ministerial Statement  (the Statement) agreeing to develop shared risk thresholds for frontier artificial intelligence (AI) development and deployment.

AI risk management

The Statement recognizes the importance of safety, innovation, and inclusivity in the development of AI and outlines the shared intent to implement actionable steps that harness AI's benefits while addressing its inherent risks. Further, the Statement emphasizes the need to guard against the full spectrum of AI risks, while implementing AI safety and security principles which include transparency, interpretability, explainability, privacy, and accountability.

The Statement encourages all relevant actors to promote accountability and transparency throughout the AI lifecycle by assessing, preventing, mitigating, and remedying adverse impacts. The Statement also highlights the role of frameworks in managing AI risks and emphasizes the importance of promoting credible external evaluations and identifying thresholds for severe risks.

AI accessibility

The Statement highlights AI's potential in the public sector and key industrial sectors and advocates for accessible AI resources for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), startups, academia, and individuals while protecting intellectual property rights. Additionally, the Statement underscores the importance of sustainability in AI development and calls for environmentally friendly practices and workforce upskilling.

You can read the press release here and the Statement here.