US officials on Wednesday announced plans for a global AI safety summit in November, as authorities strive to keep pace with rapidly developing technology.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will co-host the first gathering of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes on November 20-21 in San Francisco.

"With AI evolving at a rapid pace, we... are pulling every lever," Raimondo said in a statement.

"That includes close, thoughtful coordination with our allies and like-minded partners," she said.

The network's initial members include Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Secretary Raimondo established the group during the AI Seoul Summit in May, aiming to prepare participating countries to develop better regulation of the sector and coordinate policy.

The initiative follows the explosive popularity of ChatGPT after its 2022 release, which sparked a global AI race with tech companies investing billions in generative AI models capable of producing human-like content from simple prompts.

While proponents tout AI's potential to improve lives and businesses, critics warn of misuse risks, leading to calls for international standards to govern AI development and usage.

© 2024 AFP