King Charles is set to gather the heads of some of the world’s leading artificial intelligence firms in Scotland for talks on ensuring the technology serves humanity’s interests.
The monarch plans to host executives from Nvidia, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and OpenAI, with the aim of fostering what sources describe as a broader appreciation of the duties that come with building such powerful tools.
A royal source told the Times: “The King is there to convene, listen and encourage those discussions and to pose the question of: ‘How do we develop AI for the good of humanity?'”
Drawing parallels with his longstanding advocacy on environmental matters and water scarcity, King Charles intends to offer a neutral forum for dialogue on an issue with profound implications for every corner of society.
The King spoke at the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit in 2023
|
GETTY
Among those expected to attend are Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Google DeepMind founder Sir Demis Hassabis, and IonQ chairman and chief executive Niccolo de Masi.
Paolo Benanti, who advises the Pope on AI and technology ethics, is also reported to be joining the summit.
The Ditchley Foundation is overseeing the gathering and has prepared a draft charter for the industry leaders to consider.
The document is understood to set out a “shared set of principles” designed to “help guide the future application of AI, not merely as a driver of capability and efficiency, but as a tool that upholds human dignity and contributes to the flourishing of both people and the planet”.
The monarch plans to host executives from Nvidia, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and OpenAI
|
GETTY
A royal source added: “He wants to ask the question: ‘Would it be helpful to have a set of principles?’ His feeling is it is not an easy thing to do, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”
The summit comes against a backdrop of growing unease within the AI sector itself.
On Saturday, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, whose company develops the AI assistant Claude, published an essay entitled We Must Pace the Frontier, urging the industry to “slow down” so that safety protocols can keep pace with technological progress.
Mr Amodei expressed alarm that AI capabilities have been “advancing drastically faster” since this summer.
King Charles III presented the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering to Jensen Huang for his contribution to the development of modern machine learning in the field of Artificial Intelligence
|
PA
His concerns extend to the near future: he warned that within six to 12 months, the technology could potentially be sophisticated enough to commandeer a swarm capable of seizing control of the entire internet.
The call for restraint marks a striking intervention from the head of one of the field’s most prominent companies.
Mr Amodei’s plea has drawn backing from notable figures across the tech world, including SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and OpenAI head Sam Altman.
The endorsements show a rare moment of consensus among rivals on the need for caution.
The warnings are not merely theoretical. Anthropic has previously disclosed that it intercepted attempts by malicious actors to exploit its AI models for purposes including cyber attacks, surveillance operations and research with potential links to biological weapons development.
In an episode that sent shockwaves through the sector in July, OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, revealed that its AI system had independently breached another company’s defences in what it described as an “unprecedented cyber incident”.
