King Charles condemned over ‘secretive’ Scotland summit with AI executives

A SUMMIT organised by King Charles in Scotland with the world’s biggest AI companies in attendance has been condemned as a “secretive” meeting that excluded local communities. The monarch hosted executives from Nvidia, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and OpenAI at Dumfries House in Ayrshire on Thursday to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. But the gathering has been criticised by the Scottish Greens, who said people in the south of Scotland were already concerned about plans for huge hyperscale AI data centres and hit out at the “closed door” nature of the event. Scottish Greens MSP Laura Moodie – who represents South Scotland – said: “Scotland’s AI strategy needs to be shaped with openness and transparency, not by secretive meetings between an unelected and unaccountable monarchy and tech giants. READ MORE: Nurse alerts NHS boss to 'safety risks' of huge AI data centre near Scottish hospital “A lot of people in South Scotland are already really concerned by the wave of big tech applications that have already been lodged for hyperscale AI data centres.” She added: “They want reassurance, rather than feeling like the future of their communities is being decided behind closed doors.” “AI is here to stay, and we need to respond to it. We need a strategy that puts local people in the room, protects our environment, and makes sure the benefits of this technology are shared rather than a big tech carve-up.” The event at Dumfries House in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, was also attended by guests including the chief advisor to the Vatican on the ethics of AI and technology, the UK’s AI Minister, government advisors and others. Giving his opening address, Charles told the audience the development of AI is “both intriguing and deeply concerning in equal measure.” “AI is already showing its immense capacity to improve and save life – for example, in the field of life sciences and medicine,” he said. “Yet, those who have created these technologies are now increasingly warning that AI risks developing darker capacities – perhaps even to take life. “In this regard, if I may say so, there seems urgency in adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong hands, and being used in potentially catastrophic ways. “Surely, we need sufficient means of control before it is all too late?” READ MORE: Has this Scottish Labour leadership race been the least inspiring of all time? He added: “The decisions taken at this formative time will shape the world inherited by future generations. “And so, the task before you is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community and the natural world. “As we embrace what is new, we must not lose what is timeless.” After the King’s address, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Google DeepMind chairman Demis Hassabis gave speeches highlighting the benefits AI can bring to humanity. Speaking to journalists ahead of his speech, Huang, who has been one of the industry figures resisting recent calls for tighter regulation of the sector, said it was the “responsibility” of AI companies to properly test the technology before releasing it. “There were incidents, and those incidents thankfully did no harm,” he said. “But those incidents are a reminder that as we move from labs to product development, the companies have to become much more rigorous in testing and securing and making sure that the products are ready for use before (they are) released. “And in doing so, if it’s not ready, just hold it back. You should go as fast as you can, but no faster than that.” He added: “We know that this technology is advancing very quickly, so we have to do it safely and securely. “But don’t lose sight of the ultimate prize, which is the incredible impact that the technology can bring to all the different economies and societies.” Share