Rishi Sunak has warned of "new dangers and new fears" linked to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI).
In the run-up to the Government's AI Safety Summit taking place in Bletchley Park next week, the Prime Minister expressed his concern in a press conference on Thursday (October 26).
Speaking at the Royal Society, he suggested tech could aid terrorists and help in the creation of biological weapons.
He also argued AI should be treated with the same caution as a pandemic or a nuclear war.
"AI will bring new knowledge, new opportunities for economic growth, new advances in human capability and the chance to solve problems that we once thought beyond us," he said. "But, like those waves, it also brings new dangers and new fears."
In the most unlikely but extreme cases, there is even the risk that humanity could lose control of AI completely
Although Mr Sunak said he wasn't trying to be alarmist, the PM maintained that it's important to consider the consequences of potential AI risks.
He added: "Get this wrong, and AI could make it easier to build chemical or biological weapons. Terrorist groups could use AI to spread fear and destruction on an even greater scale."
"Criminals could exploit AI for cyber-attacks, disinformation, fraud, or even child sexual abuse," he continued.
"And, in the most unlikely but extreme cases, there is even the risk that humanity could lose control of AI completely through the kind of AI sometimes referred to as ‘super intelligence’."
Rather than rushing to regulate the industry, however, Sunak suggested that the UK would encourage innovation.
The prime minister said the UK would achieve this by investing £100m into a new task force for AI safety and creating the world's first AI safety institute.
In comparison to other countries, Sunak added, the UK has invested more in keeping people safe from AI threats.
From November 1, Sunak and the UK will host governments and industry leaders at a summit aimed at discussing the most serious threats created by AI and how to deal with them.
Later in his address, Mr Sunak turned to the topic of next week's AI summit. He acknowledged that China had been invited to the conference, although some people might believe they should have been excluded.
Contrary to that belief, Sunak argued: "My vision, and our ultimate goal, should be to work towards a more international approach to safety where we collaborate with partners to ensure AI systems are safe before they are released."
