The United Nations has just launched a big effort to deal with the challenges that come with regulating artificial intelligence (AI). This move was revealed by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on Thursday, Oct. 26. The group working on this includes 39 members with various backgrounds, such as tech leaders, government officials from different countries like Spain and Saudi Arabia, and scholars from the United States, Russia, and Japan.
Some of the notable members are Hiroaki Kitano, the chief technology officer at Sony, Mira Murati, the CTO of OpenAI, and Natasha Crampton, the chief responsible AI officer at Microsoft. The committee also includes experts from six continents, like Vilas Dhar from the United States and Professor Yi Zeng from China, as well as Mohamed Farahat, an Egyptian lawyer.
Guterres emphasized the positive impact of AI but also pointed out the potential risks, stating that the misuse of AI could damage trust in institutions and even threaten democracy. With the growing interest in AI following the introduction of technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, many are becoming more aware of the possible implications. Governments around the world are working on laws to manage the use of AI, leading to calls for better international cooperation.
The United Nations aims to come up with initial suggestions by the end of this year and comprehensive recommendations by the summer of 2024. Their immediate goals include establishing a global agreement on the risks of AI and improving collaboration in AI governance. The first meeting of the group is set for October 27.
