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Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the U.S.-UK Artificial Intelligence MOU Signing

AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

Thank you, Secretary Donelan, for traveling here for this historic day. It’s wonderful to be with you.

Last November, at the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park hosted by Secretary Donelan and Prime Minister Sunak, I committed to establishing a formal partnership between the U.S. AI Safety Institute and the UK’s Safety Institute. Today’s signing of this Memorandum of Understanding between us is the culmination of that commitment.

It’s a major milestone for the United States, the United Kingdom, and in the history of AI safety. And it’s in line with the Biden Administration’s approach to AI:  managing its risks so that we can harness its benefits.

AI is the defining technology of our generation. This partnership is going to accelerate both of our Institutes’ work across the full spectrum to address risks within both our national security and broader society. Our partnership makes clear that we aren’t running away from these concerns – we're running at them. Because of our collaboration, our Institutes will gain a better understanding of AI systems, develop, and conduct more robust evaluations, and provide more rigorous and useful guidance.

And it’s going to mean that – as we develop tests and guidelines – we stay aligned and coordinated to the greatest extent possible. By working together, we’re laying the groundwork to ensure that we’re keeping AI safe both now and in the future.

And this is just the beginning.

We need global solutions, as unsafe AI developed in one country can pose risks to the entire world. AI presents complex challenges and risks, and both governments and the private sector need to be part of the solution. On Wednesday, I’ll head to Belgium for a Trade and Technology Council ministerial meeting where our global coordination on AI will continue.

We anticipate that in the weeks and months ahead, more partnerships will help create a global network of AI safety, built through numerous linkages between government-backed scientific institutions that are doing research on and developing standards and guidelines for the safe development and implementation of advanced AI systems. 

That will include our Safety Institutes but may also incorporate other types of scientific organizations. We want to think outside the box. We want to think big.

Secretary Donelan, I am grateful for your leadership and partnership, and I’m eager to continue working with you. Thank you again for traveling here today. Today, and together, we take a momentous step. Our historic partnership is a win-win for our nations and, as we expand our network, for the world.

Leadership