Release date
January 11, 2025
Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest spent five years working in secret to bring together foreign policy experts from the United States and China to find common ground on national security and AI. Results achieved by the Brookings Institution Consortium include:
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai called the technology deeper than electricity or fire.
Mr Forrest, one of Australia’s richest men and founder of the Minderoo Foundation and metal mining organization Fortescue, said it was the greatest tool ever created, but also the most dangerous. says.
“It is our duty as world leaders to ensure we have safeguards in place to give future generations the opportunity to thrive,” Andrew Forrest told Forbes Australia in an exclusive interview.
Minderoo has been involved in philanthropic work in Australia for many years. Now, Mr. Forrest is using his deep pockets and influence to foster discussions between Chinese and US policy experts to find agreement on AI technology.
“Even the most powerful nations recognize the value of compromise when it comes to humanity.”
Andrew Forrest, Minderoo
This is the first time Mr Forrest has revealed that he has participated in 11 separate conversations on the topic since 2019.
“For more than five years, Minderoo has supported a variety of initiatives to ensure human-centered artificial intelligence policies, including funding the U.S.-China Track II Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and National Security.” Minderoo said a spokesperson.
Forrest said the organization is leading the world in preventing harm to civilians from the misuse of AI.
“That effort over several years supported the agreement announced by the presidents of China and the United States, in which both countries maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons,” Forrest said.
Colin Carle is a foreign policy expert at the Strobo-Talbot Center for Security and a former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
“One area of agreement that emerged during the Track II discussions was the objective of giving humans control over nuclear launch decisions. In their meeting, President Biden and President Xi endorsed this principle,” Kahl said.
“This conversation and this event would not have been possible without the support of the Minderoo Foundation.”
Although non-binding, the meeting between the two presidents marked continued progress in the dialogue on preventing harm from AI.
“The world should know and take note of this example. Even the most powerful nations recognize the value of compromise when humanity is involved,” Forrest says.
Human-centered AI and the nuclear deal
In September 2024, the Brookings Institution and Tsinghua University published two versions of the AI National Security Glossary. Its definition spans broad terms such as weapons, intelligence and autonomous platforms, intelligent and autonomous technologies, behavior and control, and human-machine relationships.
Chinese definitions are published on Tsinghua University’s page, and the Brookings Institution glossary is published on its website.
The group calls the glossary a “significant milestone.”
“The dialogue also reached agreement to ensure that humans, rather than artificial intelligence, retain decision-making authority regarding the use of nuclear weapons,” the Brookings Institution statement said.
Minderu and AI
The foundation dedicates resources to communities, gender equality and natural ecosystems. The US-China debate isn’t the only place Minderoo is working to influence AI.
The company said initial grants totaling A$20 million were announced in 2020 to launch a global network of academic centres. Centers at universities in Australia, the US and the UK (University of Cambridge, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney, ANU, University of California, New York University, University of Oxford) to advance education and research on the social impact of digital technology and artificial intelligence. )
AI Corporate Governance Program
Our partnership with UTS Human Technology Institute and Minderoo, a leading philanthropic project funder Our commitment to broadening the understanding of corporate accountability and governance in AI The AI Corporate Governance Program aims to equip boards with safe and responsible AI governance. Used by the Australian Institute of Company Directors to provide basic knowledge
Forrest will join the consortium on January 10 for a webinar dedicated to the U.S.-China dialogue on AI and national security. The panel discussion will focus on U.S. and Chinese perspectives on how AI will impact security relations.
This discussion will include researchers from Tsinghua University, the Hoover Institution’s Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Simulation, the Shanghai Institute for Public Policy Innovation, and the Brookings Institution. Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center, will moderate the event.
Reflect on your week with a selection of articles from Australia and around the world. Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here or become a member here.
