World
US to host first AI safety network summit as nations seek alignment on policy
The U.S. will host an artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit in November, aiming to further align top nations on their tech goals and priorities of collaboration among the international community.
“AI is the defining technology of our generation,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release.
“With AI evolving at a rapid pace, we at the Department of Commerce, and across the Biden-Harris administration, are pulling every lever. That includes close, thoughtful coordination with our allies and like-minded partners,” she said.
“We want the rules of the road on AI to be underpinned by safety, security and trust, which is why this convening is so important.”
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo meet with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a bilateral meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the Moscone Center Nov. 14, 2023, in San Francisco. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
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The U.S. AI Safety Summit will take place after November’s presidential election and is separate from the series of safety summits hosted by the U.K. and South Korea. Another summit is planned for France next year.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Raimondo will host the summit in San Francisco between Nov. 20-21, convening the International Network of AI Safety Institutes, which nations aimed to establish after the South Korea summit.
The network so far includes Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to Reuters.
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Britain’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan, second from left, listens as Lee Jong-ho, second from right, South Korea’s Minister of Science and ICT, speaks during the Ministers’ Session of the AI Seoul Summit at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul May 22, 2024. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
Chief among their concerns remains the use of generative AI to create forgeries in a variety of materials, including election-related items such as ads and pictures. A recent example included Taylor Swift AI-generated images that prompted her to speak out and declare her pick for president.
Deepfake videos have also proven a prevalent and complicating factor in elections, such as when a Turkish presidential candidate last year claimed a leaked sex tape was actually an AI-edited video with his face placed over an actor’s face in a pornographic video.
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President Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ week in Woodside, Calif., Nov. 15, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Blinken touted the AI network as a step toward greater safety and security, as well as the potential to harness AI to achieve greater goals.
“Strengthening international collaboration on AI safety is critical to harnessing AI technology to solve the world’s greatest challenges,” Blinken said in a press release. “The AI Safety Network stands as a cornerstone of this effort.”
The summit will also invite experts from related fields, including academia and the tech industry, to join certain events and weigh in with “robust” views and developments to help keep officials up to date on the rapidly evolving sector.
The White House and Department of Commerce referred Fox News Digital to the joint department statement on the summit when asked for comment.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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By Jorge Mitssunaga
May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
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Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
‘DISEASE X’ HAS KILLED DOZENS IN THE CONGO — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MYSTERY ILLNESS
Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
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