UNITED NATIONS — A high-powered U.N. advisory body said Thursday that global governance of artificial intelligence is “imperative” and urged the United Nations to lay the foundations for the first inclusive global institutions to regulate the fast-growing technology.
In a 100-page report, the group said AI “is transforming our world,” offering tremendous potential for good from opening new areas of science and accelerating economic growth to improving public health, agriculture and optimizing energy grids.
But left ungoverned, it said, AI’s benefits could be limited to a handful of countries, companies and individuals, while even more powerful systems than exist today “could upend the world of work,” create autonomous weapons, and pose risks to peace and security.
The advisory body outlined principles that should guide formation of new institutions to govern AI including international law, and especially human rights law. It calls on all governments and parties involved in AI to work together to protect human rights.
The group made wide-ranging recommendations including establishing an international scientific panel on AI to create a global understanding of its capabilities and risks, and a global dialogue on AI governance at the U.N. to anchor future institutions on human rights principles and international law.
The recommendations also call for a global AI fund to ensure that the technology bridges the divide between rich and poor nations and promotes achievement of U.N. development goals for 2030, and a “Standards Exchange” to foster technical compatibility.
At present, the report said, only seven of the 193 U.N. member nations are party to seven recent prominent AI governance initiatives while 118 countries, primarily in the global South, “are missing entirely” from any conversation.
Among the initiatives are the European Union’s first-ever legal framework to regulate AI, which entered into force on Aug. 1. This month,. the Group of 20 leading world economies agreed to establish guidelines for developing artificial intelligence, calling for “ethical, transparent, and accountable use of AI,” with human oversight and compliance with privacy and human rights laws. And lawmakers in California — home to many of the world’s biggest AI companies — recently adopted legislation to regulate AI which is before the governor.
The advisory board’s report concluded on a positive but cautious note.
“As experts, we remain optimistic about…
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