Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned that artificial intelligence will usher in revolutionary changes and called on politicians around the world to be careful, writes Politico.
Speaking at the Chatham House event in London, Blair said: “How you understand, master and harness this technology revolution will define the place of this country and the shape of the world.”
Blair led the British government from 1997 to 2007 and is still an influential representative of the Labor Party. He pointed out that the future of politics won’t be “a little more tax, a little less tax, a little more spending or a little less spending.” The future of politics is the understanding of artificial intelligence and the ability to work with it.
Blair recently co-authored a report with his former rival, former Conservative Party leader William Hague, which suggested
the British government should sack its AI advisers for failing to keep up with the changes in technology.
The UK’s Artificial Intelligence Council was dismissed shortly after the Blair report was published, although it is not known whether this had any direct influence on the government’s decision.
At the think tank event, Blair agreed that an agency that would work with the regulation of artificial intelligence is needed and urged politicians to better understand the new technologies: “The nature of the dialogue between government and not just the people in the sector, but outside, has got to be so much richer and [deeper].”
Speaking about the expectations related to the summit planned in Great Britain on the safety of artificial intelligence, Blair stated that he hopes the political elite will understand the true extent of this challenge.
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