United Nations.
Canberra: If artificial intelligence (AI) is left free, it can prove to be a wild horse, but the United Nations will not let this happen. The Advisory Board of the United Nations Secretary General has made a plan to control AI. For this, an international board of 39 members has been formed. The UN has released its final report on governing AI for humanity. The report presents a blueprint to deal with the risks related to AI.
It also includes a call for all governments and stakeholders to work together in governing AI, so as to promote development and protection of all human rights. This report appears to be a positive step for AI, encouraging development, while minimising potential harm. However, the finer details of the report highlight several concerns. The IPCC reminds that the first meeting of the UN Advisory Board on AI was called for October 26, 2023.
Recommencement of international operations
The committee aims to advance recommendations for the international governance of AI. It says that this approach is necessary to ensure the benefits of AI, such as opening up new areas of scientific inquiry, are outweighed by the risks of this technology, such as mass surveillance and the spread of misinformation. The advisory board comprises 39 members from various sectors and professional fields. These include industry representatives from Microsoft, Mozilla, Sony, Collinear AI and OpenAI. The committee is reminiscent of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which aims to provide important inputs to international climate change negotiations.
Who is included in the AI board?
The inclusion of key industry representatives on the Advisory Board on AI is a departure from the IPCC. This may have some benefits, such as a more informed understanding of AI technologies. But it may also have some disadvantages, such as a biased view in favour of business interests. The recently released report on Governing AI for Humanity provides important insights into what we can expect from this committee. What’s in the report? The final report on Governing AI for Humanity follows the release of an interim report in December 2023. It proposes seven recommendations to address shortcomings in the current AI governance system.
An international scientific committee will be formed on AI
These include the formation of an independent international scientific committee on AI, the creation of an AI standards exchange, and the creation of a global AI data framework. The report concludes with a call for all governments and relevant stakeholders to take action to collectively govern AI. What is troubling about the report is the unbalanced and at times contradictory claims made in it. For example, the report rightly advocates governance measures to address the impact of AI on concentrated power and wealth, geopolitical and geoeconomic implications.
However, it has also been claimed that currently no one understands the complete internal workings of AI enough to be able to completely control its output or predict its development. (Language)
Read this also
American giant companies are eager to run on the track of PM Modi’s “Made in India”, China will face the biggest blow of the century
“Dissanayake ready to give new direction to Sri Lanka after taking oath as President”, promises to bring “Renaissance era”
