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Main Authors: Bucknall, Ben, Siddiqui, Saad, Thurnherr, Lara, McGurk, Conor, Harack, Ben, Reuel, Anka, Paskov, Patricia, Mahoney, Casey, Mindermann, Sören, Singer, Scott, Hiremath, Vinay, Segerie, Charbel-Raphaël, Delaney, Oscar, Abate, Alessandro, Barez, Fazl, Cohen, Michael K., Torr, Philip, Huszár, Ferenc, Calinescu, Anisoara, Jones, Gabriel Davis, Bengio, Yoshua, Trager, Robert
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12914
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author Bucknall, Ben
Siddiqui, Saad
Thurnherr, Lara
McGurk, Conor
Harack, Ben
Reuel, Anka
Paskov, Patricia
Mahoney, Casey
Mindermann, Sören
Singer, Scott
Hiremath, Vinay
Segerie, Charbel-Raphaël
Delaney, Oscar
Abate, Alessandro
Barez, Fazl
Cohen, Michael K.
Torr, Philip
Huszár, Ferenc
Calinescu, Anisoara
Jones, Gabriel Davis
Bengio, Yoshua
Trager, Robert
author_facet Bucknall, Ben
Siddiqui, Saad
Thurnherr, Lara
McGurk, Conor
Harack, Ben
Reuel, Anka
Paskov, Patricia
Mahoney, Casey
Mindermann, Sören
Singer, Scott
Hiremath, Vinay
Segerie, Charbel-Raphaël
Delaney, Oscar
Abate, Alessandro
Barez, Fazl
Cohen, Michael K.
Torr, Philip
Huszár, Ferenc
Calinescu, Anisoara
Jones, Gabriel Davis
Bengio, Yoshua
Trager, Robert
contents International cooperation is common in AI research, including between geopolitical rivals. While many experts advocate for greater international cooperation on AI safety to address shared global risks, some view cooperation on AI with suspicion, arguing that it can pose unacceptable risks to national security. However, the extent to which cooperation on AI safety poses such risks, as well as provides benefits, depends on the specific area of cooperation. In this paper, we consider technical factors that impact the risks of international cooperation on AI safety research, focusing on the degree to which such cooperation can advance dangerous capabilities, result in the sharing of sensitive information, or provide opportunities for harm. We begin by why nations historically cooperate on strategic technologies and analyse current US-China cooperation in AI as a case study. We further argue that existing frameworks for managing associated risks can be supplemented with consideration of key risks specific to cooperation on technical AI safety research. Through our analysis, we find that research into AI verification mechanisms and shared protocols may be suitable areas for such cooperation. Through this analysis we aim to help researchers and governments identify and mitigate the risks of international cooperation on AI safety research, so that the benefits of cooperation can be fully realised.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_12914
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle In Which Areas of Technical AI Safety Could Geopolitical Rivals Cooperate?
Bucknall, Ben
Siddiqui, Saad
Thurnherr, Lara
McGurk, Conor
Harack, Ben
Reuel, Anka
Paskov, Patricia
Mahoney, Casey
Mindermann, Sören
Singer, Scott
Hiremath, Vinay
Segerie, Charbel-Raphaël
Delaney, Oscar
Abate, Alessandro
Barez, Fazl
Cohen, Michael K.
Torr, Philip
Huszár, Ferenc
Calinescu, Anisoara
Jones, Gabriel Davis
Bengio, Yoshua
Trager, Robert
Computers and Society
International cooperation is common in AI research, including between geopolitical rivals. While many experts advocate for greater international cooperation on AI safety to address shared global risks, some view cooperation on AI with suspicion, arguing that it can pose unacceptable risks to national security. However, the extent to which cooperation on AI safety poses such risks, as well as provides benefits, depends on the specific area of cooperation. In this paper, we consider technical factors that impact the risks of international cooperation on AI safety research, focusing on the degree to which such cooperation can advance dangerous capabilities, result in the sharing of sensitive information, or provide opportunities for harm. We begin by why nations historically cooperate on strategic technologies and analyse current US-China cooperation in AI as a case study. We further argue that existing frameworks for managing associated risks can be supplemented with consideration of key risks specific to cooperation on technical AI safety research. Through our analysis, we find that research into AI verification mechanisms and shared protocols may be suitable areas for such cooperation. Through this analysis we aim to help researchers and governments identify and mitigate the risks of international cooperation on AI safety research, so that the benefits of cooperation can be fully realised.
title In Which Areas of Technical AI Safety Could Geopolitical Rivals Cooperate?
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12914