The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution on artificial intelligence (AI). The resolution is the latest in a line of international government actions meant to impact artificial intelligence development.
TakeAway Points:
- The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution on artificial intelligence.
- The resolution calls on nations to protect privacy, uphold human rights, and keep an eye out for dangers associated with AI.
- It aims to provide developing nations with the tools and know-how they need to take advantage of AI’s benefits, which include workforce training, disease detection, flood prediction, and agricultural help.
UN Resolution on AI
The resolution, which had been proposed by the United States and supported by 123 states, including China—was overwhelmingly approved, indicating that all 193 U.N. members agreed with it.
The resolution calls on nations to protect privacy, uphold human rights, and keep an eye out for dangers associated with AI. It aims to ensure that emerging countries with lower levels of wealth are included in debates on artificial intelligence by bridging the digital divide between them. Additionally, it aims to provide developing nations with the tools and know-how they need to take advantage of AI’s benefits, which include workforce training, disease detection, flood prediction, and agricultural help.
Despite the fact that many AI programmes are unenforceable, worries about the technology’s capacity to undermine democratic processes, intensify fraud, or cause a large loss of jobs are still there, among other possible bad effects. The resolution says as follows:
“The improper or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems … pose risks that could … undercut the protection, promotion and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Online and Offline Equal Rights
The Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders
“to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law or that pose undue risks to the enjoyment of human rights. The same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, including throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems,” it affirmed.
Additionally, the Assembly urged all States, businesses, civil society, research institutions, and the media to create and promote frameworks and approaches for governance and regulations pertaining to the safe, secure, and reliable use of artificial intelligence.
According to a report, the US, the UK, and more than a dozen other countries signed a broad international agreement in November that outlined steps to protect AI against bad actors. The accord highlights the necessity for IT businesses to create AI systems that come equipped with built-in security measures.
AI Regulation
Major IT companies, on the other hand, have mostly agreed that regulation of AI is necessary and have pushed to make sure that any regulations serve their interests.
On March 13, however, lawmakers in the European Union finally approved the world’s first comprehensive AI legislation. It is expected that these guidelines will go into effect by May or June, after a few formalities.
Numerous technologies are prohibited by EU rules, such as untargeted facial recognition systems, predictive policing, social scoring systems, biometric surveillance, and “emotion recognition.”
Through a new executive order released in October, the White House also sought to improve national security while reducing the dangers associated with AI for minorities, labour, and consumers.
