The United Nations has created a new advisory body on artificial intelligence (AI) to help guide the development and use of this technology responsibly and ethically.
The announcement was made by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres during a press conference. This body is tasked with studying the risks, opportunities, and international governance of artificial intelligence.
The Advisory Body brings together 39 experts from governments, the private sector, the research community, civil society, and academia. It aims to build a global scientific consensus on risks and challenges, help harness AI for the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthen international cooperation on AI governance.
In his remarks at the press conference, Mr. Guterres highlighted the transformative potential of AI.
He said, “For developing economies, AI offers the possibility of leapfrogging outdated technologies and bringing services directly to people who need them most.”
He warned saying that “The transformative potential of AI for good is difficult even to grasp. And without entering into a host of doomsday scenarios, it is already clear that the malicious use of AI could undermine trust in institutions, weaken social cohesion and threaten democracy itself.”
He further emphasized that AI could help supercharge climate action and efforts to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Among the priority tasks of the body are the emergence of a global scientific consensus on risks and challenges, contributing AI to the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthening international cooperation on AI governance.
The body will help bridge other existing and emerging initiatives on AI governance and issue preliminary recommendations by end-2023, followed by final recommendations by summer 2024.
The first meeting of the body will take place on October 27, 2023. This development underscores the growing recognition of the importance of AI in our society and the need for effective governance mechanisms.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development.
