The UK government has confirmed the date and location of a global summit looking at the safe development of artificial intelligence (AI).

The event will take place on 1 and 2 November at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, which was a significant location in the history of computer science development and the home of British enigma codebreaking.

The government said the roots of AI can be followed back to some of the research undertaken at Bletchley Park during the second world war, with codebreakers Jack Good and Donald Michie writing about the emerging technology.

The summit will look at how AI models can drive scientific progress and how countries can develop a shared approach to mitigating and managing the risks of AI.

The government said that AI employs around 50,000 people in the UK and contributes £3.7 billion to the UK’s economy. The government claims it has invested more on AI safety research than any other country by backing the creation of the of the Foundation Model Taskforce with an initial £100 million.

Commenting on the news, technology secretary Michelle Donelan said: “The UK is consistently recognised as a world leader in AI and we are well placed to lead these discussions. The location of Bletchley Park as the backdrop will reaffirm our historic leadership in overseeing the development of new technologies.”

She added: “AI is already improving lives from new innovations in healthcare to supporting efforts to tackle climate change, and November’s summit will make sure we can all realise the technology’s huge benefits safely and securely for decades to come.”

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