Can global AI safety be a reality?

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The UK must rethink its short-term immigration policies to help boost the numbers of professionals and students focused on AI (Getty)

The fact that those in the halls at Bletchley Park have travelled from all corners of the globe is a testament to the global collaboration needed to tackle AI security. I hope they not only discuss the needs but, critically, how we meet the unprecedented demand for professionals in this field. Without the right talent, it will be impossible to build a safe, secure, and trustworthy regulatory framework for AI and future technologies.

Engineers and cybersecurity experts with AI experience are already some of the most sought after of all occupations. The global talent shortage has already led many over the past couple of years to hire overseas in countries with a surplus of engineers – countries like the Philippines, Nigeria, and India. But the majority of businesses that attempt to hire globally face prohibitive visa rules and notoriously slow systems that are laden with red tape – causing unnecessary, costly delays to businesses and workers alike.

To tackle the talent shortage, we need to focus on bringing down the immigration backlog and bureaucracy that is currently making global hiring a painfully time-consuming and costly process. At the same time, we need the government to encourage younger generations to study in subjects like advanced mathematics and science. The UK, which earlier this year limited the number of international students, needs to rethink its short-term immigration policies to help boost the numbers of professionals and students focused on AI. Only by taking these steps can global AI safety be a reality.