Charles III Gathers AI Leaders and Calls for Safeguards

At Dumfries House in Scotland, Charles III invited figures from the AI sector, ministers, and intelligence officials. The sovereign urged participants to establish control mechanisms and build international cooperation, deeming the current pace "intriguing and deeply concerning." This initiative comes as Anthropic restricts certain models to the United States, as calls to slow down are contested, and as OpenAI pauses its IPO plans this year for safety reasons.

Companies and policymakers tense over pace and access

Anthropic has now limited access to its Fable and Mythos models to American clients, a decision that has surprised the European tech scene and reignited discussions on AI sovereignty. Meanwhile, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Dario Amodei have called this month for a slowdown in AI development, but these calls have been dismissed by Jensen Huang and former President Donald Trump. The latter claimed that the United States is ahead of China in AI and stated that "whoever wins in AI, wins." Financially, OpenAI and Anthropic have discussed spectacular IPOs over the past year, but OpenAI recently announced the suspension of its plans for this year due to ongoing concerns about AI safety.

Charles III calls for safeguards and international cooperation

King Charles urged the leaders present to find ways to control AI "before it is too late," describing the current pace and substance of this technology as both intriguing and deeply concerning. He highlighted AI's ability to enhance and save lives, particularly in medicine and science, while relaying warnings from creators who fear that AI could develop darker capabilities, even to the point of taking lives. The king stressed the urgency of addressing existential dangers if AI fell into the wrong hands and was used in potentially catastrophic ways. He advocated for sufficient control mechanisms and for building international cooperation and consensus to harness the benefits of AI. According to him, the mission is not only to advance technology but to ensure it remains in service to humanity, the community, and the natural world, without losing "what is timeless." Just days before the meeting, a researcher from Anthropic had resigned, denouncing a race to create machines smarter than humans and warning that humanity might not survive it.

Around the table: leading industrialists and British authorities

The meeting included Jensen Huang (Nvidia), representatives from OpenAI and Anthropic, Kanishka Narayan, the UK minister responsible for AI, the director of the UK's foreign intelligence service, and Paolo Benanti, the Pope's advisor on AI. The OpenAI delegation included CFO Sarah Friar, while Anthropic was represented by Tino Cuéllar, head of global affairs. Tino Cuéllar stated that Anthropic was honored to have participated in the discussion and grateful to the king for bringing together industry leaders and voices from society to discuss the role of AI in serving the public good.

A brief exchange at Dumfries House, in a royal setting

The meeting took place at Dumfries House, an 18th-century Scottish estate owned by King Charles's charitable foundation. It is reported that the sovereign stayed for about 20 minutes before allowing the guests to continue their discussion. This is not the first time Charles III has spoken on AI, having already addressed the topic in 2023 and 2024. This involvement is notable, as the royal family typically intervenes cautiously on political issues for constitutional reasons.