Historical precedents for international AI safety collaborations
Zac Richardson
Mentored by Aaron Scher
Working report from the SPAR program. May not reflect the authors' current views.
Abstract
Historical cases of international collaboration on sensitive technologies offer key insights for technical AI safety cooperation. Two main challenges for AI safety collaboration are preventing inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information and avoiding proliferation of strategic capabilities. Drawing from historical case studies on INTELSAT's governance of communication satellites, bilateral nuclear security arrangements between rival states, and international encryption standardisation, this paper identifies patterns of successful technical collaboration that advance positive applications while limiting opportunities for subversion. Recommendations include: building institutional relationships between alignment researchers from competing nations, focusing collaboration on reducing risks from non-state actors' misuse of non-frontier models, jointly designing infrastructure that will advance domestic AI governance goals, and conducting shared research on verification measures.