A UN report released today proposes an international body oversee the first truly global effort to monitor and control artificial intelligence.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on AIrecommends establishing a body similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to gather up-to-date information on AI and its risks.
The report calls for a new policy dialogue on AI so that the UN’s 193 member states can discuss risks and agree on actions. It further recommends that the UN take steps to help poorer countries, especially in the global South, benefit from AI and contribute to its governance. This could include creating an AI fund to support projects in these countries, establishing AI standards and data sharing systems, and creating training and other resources to support AI governance. Some of the report’s recommendations could be promoted by UN agencies. Global Digital Compactis an existing plan to address the digital and data divide between countries. Ultimately, it proposes establishing an AI office within the UN dedicated to coordinating existing efforts across the UN to achieve the report’s goals.
“The international community agrees that AI brings not only opportunities, but also harms and risks,” it said. Alondra NelsonProfessor Institute for Advanced Studies He served on United Nations advisory bodies at the recommendation of the White House and the State Department.
The incredible capabilities shown by large-scale language models and chatbots in recent years have stoked hopes for a revolution in economic productivity, but some experts warn that AI is developing too quickly and may soon become difficult to control. Shortly after ChatGPT was launched, a number of scientists and entrepreneurs signed a letter calling for a six-month pause on the development of the technology to assess the risks.
Among the more immediate concerns are that AI could automate disinformation, generate deepfake video and audio, and replace large numbers of workers, exacerbating society’s algorithmic bias on an industrial scale. “There’s a sense of urgency, and people feel the need to work together,” Nelson says.
The UN proposal reflects growing interest among policymakers around the world in regulating AI to mitigate those risks, but it also comes as major powers, notably the United States and China, vie for leadership in a technology that promises big economic, scientific and military benefits and each country is hammering out its own vision for how AI should be used and governed.
In March, the United States A resolution was submitted The United Nations called on member states to work toward developing “safe, secure and trustworthy AI.” Own resolution All UN member states have signed both agreements, which emphasize cooperation in the development of AI and the widespread use of the technology.
“AI is part of the US-China competition, so there is only so much the two countries can agree on,” he said. Joshua MeltzerThe expert from the Brookings Institution, a Washington DC think tank, says there are important differences, including the norms and values that AI should embody, and protecting privacy and personal data.
