U.K.

King Charles hosted a private AI summit at Dumfries House on Thursday, convening prominent figures from AI and government, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, leaders from OpenAI and Anthropic, the U.K.

‘s new AI minister Kanishka Narayan, and the head of the U.K.’s foreign intelligence service. Paolo Benanti, an AI adviser to the pope, also attended.

The king’s remarks stood out because the royal family normally avoids deep political engagement for constitutional reasons, yet he urged the assembled leaders to find ways to control AI “before it’s too late,” calling the technology’s rapid development “both intriguing and deeply concerning.

” He acknowledged AI’s demonstrated capacity to improve and save lives, particularly in medicine and science, but warned that its creators increasingly caution about darker capabilities, “perhaps even to take life.

” This comment followed the recent resignation of an Anthropic researcher who publicly stated that AI companies are “racing to build machines that are much smarter than any human” and that humanity “may not survive this.

” The king emphasized the urgency of addressing “existential dangers” if AI falls into the wrong hands and is used in “potentially catastrophic ways,” asking, “Surely, we need sufficient means of control before it’s all too late?

” He concluded by urging leaders to harness AI’s benefits while building international cooperation and consensus, saying, “The task before you is not to merely advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community, and the natural world.

As we embrace what is new, we must not lose what is timeless.” Reports indicate the king stayed for about 20 minutes before leaving the guests to continue discussions.

OpenAI sent CFO Sarah Friar, while Anthropic sent Tino Cuéllar, who leads global affairs; Cuéllar expressed gratitude for the king convening industry leaders to discuss AI’s role in serving the public good.

This is not the first time King Charles has spoken about AI’s challenges and benefits, having done so in 2023 and 2024, but the summit arrives as AI dominates every industry and conversation.

This month, OpenAI‘s Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Anthropic‘s Dario Amodei called for a deceleration in AI development, but Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and President Donald Trump quickly rejected those calls, with Trump asserting that the U.

S. is leading China in AI and wants to keep it that way, since “whoever wins AI, wins.

” The event highlights the collision of interests among Big Tech, politics, and society, compounded by ongoing IPO speculation from OpenAI and Anthropic, though OpenAI recently said its IPO plans stalled this year amid AI safety concerns.