King Charles Warns AI Leaders They Must Act Before It Is Too Late

King Charles III has urged some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence to make sure the technology remains safe and does not fall into the wrong hands.

The King made the comments on Thursday, 17 September, while opening an AI summit at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland. The meeting brought together people from leading technology companies, government, charities and religious organisations.

King Charles shares his concerns about AI

The King recognised that AI could bring major benefits, particularly in medicine and other areas that could improve people’s lives. However, he described the speed at which the technology is developing as “both intriguing and deeply concerning.”

“There seems urgency in adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong hands, and being used in potentially catastrophic ways,” the King said. He then asked whether stronger controls were needed “before it is all too late.”

The meeting was designed to give those working at the highest levels of the industry an opportunity to discuss how AI can be used for good. The King left attendees to continue those talks after delivering his opening remarks.

Major technology leaders attend the summit

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Google DeepMind co-founder Sir Demis Hassabis were among the leading figures at Dumfries House. Representatives from OpenAI and Anthropic also attended, along with the UK’s AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan, and Father Paolo Benanti, an AI adviser to Pope Leo XIV.

Jensen reportedly told those attending that safety must be “paramount.” He said companies should hold back a product and continue working on it if it is not considered safe enough to release.

The Nvidia boss also spoke about the value of making AI available more widely. He said countries and communities should not be left behind as the technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life.

The King puts people at the heart of the debate

During his address, the King asked AI leaders to reassure the public that humanity would remain in control of its future. His message was that technological progress should not come at the cost of the values and responsibilities that guide society.

“Those in our world who value deeply our humanity and its vital moral component are anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny, or our souls,” he said. The remarks added a human and moral voice to a debate that is often dominated by technical language.

This is not the first time the King has spoken about the need to develop AI responsibly. At the UK’s AI Safety Summit in 2023, he called for people’s privacy and livelihoods to be protected and said the benefits of new technology should be shared by everyone.

He returned to the subject at a Commonwealth gathering in 2024, saying AI should work for societies rather than against them.

His latest message was equally clear: AI has huge potential, but the people building it must take its risks seriously and make safety a priority.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal.