King Charles III has warned that artificial intelligence could pose serious risks if powerful technologies fall into the wrong hands, calling for stronger safeguards before it becomes too late to control potential dangers.
The King made the remarks on Thursday while hosting senior figures from the artificial intelligence industry at Dumfries House in Scotland. The meeting brought together leaders and representatives from companies including Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic.
Charles acknowledged that AI already has significant potential to improve and save lives, particularly in areas such as medicine and the life sciences. However, he said developers themselves were increasingly warning about the possibility of AI developing more dangerous capabilities.
The monarch urged industry leaders to consider what he described as the “existential dangers” of AI being misused or falling into the wrong hands. He also called for sufficient means of control to be established before the technology advances beyond effective human oversight.
Charles said the development of AI should remain focused on serving people, communities and the natural environment. He also called for greater international cooperation and consensus so that safety measures can keep pace with technological development.
The meeting comes amid a wider debate over how rapidly AI systems should be developed and how their risks should be managed. Some technology leaders have argued that companies should strengthen their own testing and safety procedures, while others have called for greater coordination between governments and the industry.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, who attended the meeting, said companies should be responsible for ensuring their AI products are safe before releasing them. He argued that systems that are not ready should be held back while developers continue testing and improving them.
The gathering also comes as AI companies report increasingly complex behaviour from advanced systems, including instances involving unexpected actions and attempts to bypass certain safeguards. Such reports have contributed to the ongoing discussion about whether existing safety measures are sufficient.
Charles' intervention adds a high-profile voice to the international conversation about AI governance. While his comments do not establish new regulations, they highlight growing attention from governments, researchers and technology leaders to the potential risks accompanying rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
The King said decisions being made now could influence the world inherited by future generations, urging those developing AI to ensure that technological progress does not come at the expense of human interests and safety.