The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern that currently only seven countries are involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and making decisions that affect other countries.
The United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence stated this in its final report entitled “Governing AI for humanity.”
According to the report, the seven countries involved in AI governance for the rest of the world include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Whole parts of the world have been excluded from international conversations on AI governance. Seven countries are part of all AI governance efforts included in the sample, while 118 countries are part of none (mostly in the Global South).” This is what the report states.
AI governance involves establishing policies, regulations and guidelines that ensure the responsible and ethical development, deployment and use of AI technologies.
More voices in AI
The agency noted that equity requires that more voices play meaningful roles in decisions about how to govern the technology that affects them.
It was stressed that the concentration of decision-making in the AI technology sector cannot be justified, adding that many communities have historically been completely excluded from AI governance conversations that affect them.
“AI governance regimes must also be global to be effective: effective in preventing “AI arms races” or a “race to the bottom” on security and rights, in detecting and responding to incidents arising from decisions throughout the AI lifecycle that span multiple jurisdictions, in stimulating learning, in encouraging interoperability, and in sharing the benefits of AI.
“Technology has no borders, and as it spreads, the illusion that any state or group of states could (or should) control it will diminish.” said.
The need to regulate AI
The UN agency added that the development of AI cannot be left solely to the “whims” of the market.
- In the report, the 39-member panel agreed that national governments will inevitably play a major role in regulating AI, but stressed that the borderless nature of the technology also requires a “global approach.”
- He added that the accelerated development of AI concentrates power and wealth on a global scale, with geopolitical and geoeconomic implications.
- He noted that no one currently understands the inner workings of AI well enough to fully control its outcomes or predict its evolution, and that decision-makers are also not responsible for the development, implementation or use of systems they do not understand.
“Many countries face fiscal and resource constraints that limit their ability to use AI appropriately and effectively,” the panel said.
“The imperative for global governance, in particular, is irrefutable. The raw materials of AI, from critical minerals to training data, are sourced globally. The development, deployment and use of such technology cannot be left to the whims of markets alone.” This is what the report states.
What you should know
The UN advisory body was established in October 2023 and has already made seven recommendations to address AI-related risks and gaps in governance.
- These measures include the establishment of an AI data framework to boost transparency and accountability, and a fund to help developing countries benefit from advances in the technology.
- Since the launch of OpenAI’s viral ChatGPT bot in 2022, AI use has spread rapidly, raising concerns about fostering misinformation, fake news, and infringement of copyrighted material.
- Only a handful of countries have created laws to regulate the spread of AI tools. The European Union has been ahead of the pack in passing a comprehensive AI law, compared to the US approach of voluntary compliance, while China has aimed to maintain social stability and state control.
