A worldwide advisory council, including 39 members, was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday to provide reports on the risks, obstacles, and significant opportunities associated with the international regulation of artificial intelligence.
The leadership of the United Nations announced during a press conference that the cross-generational, gender-balanced, and geographically diverse panel will release draft recommendations by year’s end and final recommendations by summer 2024. World leaders will attend the U.N. Summit of the Future in September 2024, and the recommendations will be incorporated into the event.
Although its revolutionary potential for good “is difficult even to grasp,” Guterres stated that “AI could power extraordinary progress for humanity in our challenging times.”
However, he said, “There are significant worries about misinformation and disinformation, the entrenchment of bias and discrimination, surveillance and privacy invasion, fraud, and other human rights violations, as well as the potential harms of AI.”
Guterres said the misuse of AI for nefarious purposes “could undermine trust in institutions, weaken social cohesion, and threaten democracy itself.” This is already evident.
According to Guterres, the current concentration of AI talent “in a handful of companies and countries” has the potential to deepen global inequality and “turn digital divides into chasms.” He asserted that coordinated worldwide action is required.
The United Nations claimed that the establishment of the body, which includes professionals from academia, industry, research, government, and civil society, is a critical milestone in its efforts to address international governance concerns related to artificial intelligence and will support the nexus of ongoing and new activities.
