King Charles makes urgent plea to protect humanity: ‘Deeply concerning’

King Charles will meet with industry leaders in Scotland on September 17 to speak about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence and how its rapid growth can be curbed by human intervention.

The British monarch will gather alongside representatives from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic at Dumfries House, in an AI forum facilitated by The Ditchley Foundation and organised by the King’s Trust, the King’s Foundation and the Sustainable Markets Initiative.

Also in attendance will be a series of thought leaders in the world of AI, as well as the Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Kanishka Narayan, and advisor to the Vatican, Paolo Benanti.

King Charles’ warning message

The King is expected to speak on how AI can be harnessed to benefit society and the environment, and how it can be used as a tool to uphold human dignity. The forum will discuss the development of a shared set of principles to help guide the application of AI and to avoid the major ethical and security issues that come with the technology.

Charles will speak on the rapid development of AI, and remark that “its substance and its pace are both intriguing and deeply concerning in equal measure.”

© UK Press via Getty Images

“Those in our world who value our humanity and its vital moral component are anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny,” he will tell attendees in his speech.

The 77-year-old’s missive will include a plea to attendees to “not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community and the natural world”. The King will conclude that as AI continues to evolve, “our humanity must remain sacred”. 

Sounding the alarm

Charles has spoken at length in the past about AI and the dangers of its rapid growth, including in a video message displayed at the first global AI Safety Summit in 2023.

In the video, he described AI as “no less significant, no less important than the discovery of electricity, the splitting of the atom, the creation of the World Wide Web, or even the harnessing of fire,” and added that its risks needed to be addressed.

© Getty Images

“We are witnessing one of the greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour,” he said at the time.  “AI continues to advance with ever greater speed towards models that some predict could surpass human abilities, even human understanding.”

Charles added: “It is incumbent on those with responsibility to meet these challenges to protect people’s privacy and livelihoods, which are essential to both our economic and psychological well-being, to secure our democracies from harm and to ensure the benefits of new technology are shared by all.”

© ABC

The forum in Scotland comes just days after ex-Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon, who spent three years researching AI, shared a series of social media posts claiming that the technology could threaten human life by the end of the decade. “Do not underestimate the power of this technology,” he wrote. 

“These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionise any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing.”

 For more royal content, listen below…

LAST TICKETS REMAINING FOR KATE AND DIANA LIVE!

Tickets are selling fast for our upcoming A Right Royal Podcast recording on 23 September. The episode will be recorded live in central London so if you want to be in the room with our podcast hosts Emily Nash, Andrea Caamano, and Emmy Griffiths, and our guest author Ingrid Seward, book your tickets now.

Ingrid will be showcasing her new book, Catherine & Diana, which you’ll be able to see before it officially hits stores. Our royal experts will share unheard anecdotes about the two Princesses of Wales. Ingrid personally knew the late Diana, while our Royal Editor Emily has shadowed and covered Princess Kate’s transformation from shy royal girlfriend to confident Queen-in-the-making.

It promises to be a truly special occasion, and you can secure your place now by clicking the button below… Plus you’ll go home with a luxury goodie bag!