The Seoul Summit Commitments refer to the set of safety, innovation, and inclusivity pledges adopted at the AI Seoul Summit 2024, held in May 2024 and co-hosted by the governments of South Korea and the United Kingdom. The summit produced the Seoul Declaration and the Seoul Ministerial Statement, which together aimed to advance international cooperation on Artificial intelligence governance, building on the earlier AI Safety Summit in November 2023. The commitments emphasized the need for interoperable regulatory frameworks, human-centric AI development, and collaborative efforts among governments, industry, academia, and civil society.
Background
The AI Seoul Summit was the second major international meeting focused on AI safety, following the AI Safety Summit held in the United Kingdom in November 2023. At the earlier meeting, participating countries adopted the Bletchley Declaration, which prioritized identifying AI safety risks of shared concern. The Seoul Summit extended this agenda by recognizing the broader importance of AI, including its potential for innovation and economic growth, while maintaining a focus on safety and governance. The event was co-hosted by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reflecting the two countries' leadership in the global AI policy discourse.
Notable attendees
The summit drew participation from leaders of Group of Seven countries, including the United States, Canada, France, and Germany, as well as South Korea, Singapore, and Australia. Representatives from international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Union also attended. Industry figures included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, and executives from major technology companies like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and South Korea's Naver. The presence of these stakeholders underscored the summit's aim to bridge governmental and private-sector efforts in AI governance.
South Korean AI safety center
A key national commitment from the summit was South Korea's plan to establish an AI safety research center. Minister of Science Lee Jong-ho announced that the country intended to open an AI Safety Institute in 2024, with the goal of joining a global network to enhance AI safety. The initiative aimed to strengthen cooperation on developing international standards for AI, positioning South Korea as a proactive contributor to the global regulatory landscape. This commitment was part of the broader Seoul Declaration's emphasis on collaborative safety measures.
Seoul Declaration for Safe, Innovative and Inclusive AI
The Seoul Declaration was adopted by leaders from the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. The declaration committed these nations to fostering international cooperation to develop AI governance frameworks that are interoperable across countries. It explicitly integrated the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems, which provides voluntary guidance for AI developers. The declaration also advocated for human-centric AI development, involving collaboration with the private sector, academia, and civil society to ensure that AI technologies align with democratic values and societal well-being.
Seoul Ministerial Statement for advancing AI safety
At the ministerial meeting accompanying the summit, a joint statement was adopted by ministers from a wider group of countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as a representative from the European Union. The Seoul Ministerial Statement called for improving the safety, innovation, and inclusivity of AI technologies. A notable focus was the development of low-power chips, responding to the rapid expansion of the AI industry and its expected massive energy consumption. This technical emphasis highlighted the need for sustainable AI infrastructure alongside regulatory measures.
Global AI Summit series
The Seoul Summit was part of an ongoing series of global AI summits, which began with the Bletchley Park meeting in 2023. The series aims to create a continuous dialogue among nations on AI governance, with subsequent meetings planned to build on the commitments made in Seoul. The Seoul Summit's outcomes, particularly the Seoul Declaration and Ministerial Statement, were designed to feed into future discussions, ensuring that AI safety and innovation remain on the international agenda. The series reflects a growing recognition that AI challenges are transnational and require coordinated responses.