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Investor discussion: AI safety state of play
Summary notes from an investor expert discussion with Stephen Clare on the International AI Safety Report 2026.
Stephen Clare was one of the two lead writers for the recent report – International AI Safety Report 2026. The report covers 1) current model capabilities and likely progress by 2030, 2) AI risks from malicious use, malfunctions, and systemic impacts, 3) institutional and technical risk management. This is the most credible review of these topics and is closest equivalent to the IPCC for climate. Key points from the discussion:
- Over the last year AI risks have moved from theoretically possible to real-world examples.
- Self-governance and voluntary commitments have been surprisingly successful, but the competitive pressure to launch models quickly is intense and limits the focus on safety. More external pressure would help, including from investors.
- A key challenge for AI governance is the declining effectiveness of model evaluations – the evaluation gap. Models increasingly recognise they are being tested and adjust their behaviour.
- Investors can help by pushing developers for longer pre-deployment testing windows and deployers to only purchase AI systems that have been externally evaluated.