The UN announced the creation of a global advisory body on the governance of artificial intelligence. Its Secretary General, António Guterres, explained that the organization consists of 39 members from all over the world. The group will assess the risks posed by these technologies and make proposals on how international cooperation can help overcome these challenges.

“Without discussing a series of doomsday scenarios, it is clear that the malicious use of artificial intelligence can undermine trust in institutions, undermine social cohesion and threaten democracy itself,” Guterres said at a press conference this Thursday. He noted that the team will promote a a “multidisciplinary global conversation”, which will include a wide range of stakeholders.

Its members are selected by the office of the UN Secretary General’s Technology Envoy, with contributions from other organizations such as UNESCO. The organization is led by two co-presidents: Carme Artigas, Spanish Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence; and James Manyika, senior vice president of Google-Alphabet.

In directory listing There are also Natasha Crampton, director in charge of artificial intelligence at Microsoft, and Mira Murati, chief technology officer at OpenAI. Officials from the governments of Mexico, Russia, Kenya, Brazil and Germany, among others, also joined. And a group of important academics from various institutions, such as the University of Tokyo and Stanford University.

What are the goals of the new UN agency on artificial intelligence?

This UN advisory body is a far cry from what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once proposed. Leaders of the company that created ChatGPT said in May that the creation of a similar organization was necessary. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Altman commented that such an organization could, for example, licensing the most powerful artificial intelligence systems or withdraw it if it does not guarantee compliance with security standards. “If this technology goes wrong, it could be very bad”he then warned.

Guterres himself also expressed his support for a regulatory body that has international reach. But he clarified at the time that only member states could create institutions like this, not their secretariats.

The UN advisory body has planned to periodically review artificial intelligence governance agreements and offer recommendations in this regard. By the end of 2023, the first interim report will be published. The final report will be published by August 31, 2024. The document may provide “detailed recommendations regarding the function, form and deadlines a new international body for the governance of artificial intelligence”, according to a document released by the UN previously.

Other initiatives are underway

Guterres warned that knowledge about artificial intelligence is currently concentrated in only a handful of companies and countries. This, he said, could happen “deepening the global divide and turning the digital divide into an abyss.”

The potential harm that could result includes accelerating the spread of misinformation and disinformation, as well as strengthening prejudice and discrimination, his office said in a statement. pers conference. Other risks identified relate to surveillance and privacy violations, fraud, and other human rights violations.

In addition to the new UN agency, two other major international initiatives on artificial intelligence are underway. The first was led by the British, who later organized it Artificial Intelligence Security Summit, which will be held in November with leaders from around the world. And the second is the responsibility of the G7 countries, which agreed to the draft in September of a non-binding code of ethics. The first proposals are expected to be presented before the end of this year.