un Archives - AI News https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/tag/un/ Artificial Intelligence News Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:52:31 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/09/ai-icon-60x60.png un Archives - AI News https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/tag/un/ 32 32 UN passes first global AI resolution https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2024/03/22/un-passes-first-global-ai-resolution/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2024/03/22/un-passes-first-global-ai-resolution/#respond Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:52:30 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=14598 The UN General Assembly has adopted a landmark resolution on AI, aiming to promote the safe and ethical development of AI technologies worldwide. The resolution, co-sponsored by over 120 countries, was adopted unanimously by all 193 UN member states on 21 March. This marks the first time the UN has established global standards and guidelines... Read more »

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The UN General Assembly has adopted a landmark resolution on AI, aiming to promote the safe and ethical development of AI technologies worldwide.

The resolution, co-sponsored by over 120 countries, was adopted unanimously by all 193 UN member states on 21 March. This marks the first time the UN has established global standards and guidelines for AI.

The eight-page resolution calls for the development of “safe, secure, and trustworthy” AI systems that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. It urges member states and stakeholders to refrain from deploying AI inconsistent with international human rights laws.

Key aspects of the resolution include:

  • Raising public awareness about AI’s benefits and risks
  • Strengthening investments and capabilities in AI research and development  
  • Safeguarding privacy and ensuring transparency in AI systems
  • Addressing diversity and bias issues in AI datasets and algorithms

The resolution also encourages governments to develop national policies, safeguards, and standards for ethical AI development and use. It calls on UN agencies to provide technical assistance to countries in need.

“The resolution adopted today lays out a comprehensive vision for how countries should respond to the opportunities and challenges of AI,” said Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor.

“It lays out a path for international cooperation on AI, including to promote equitable access, take steps to manage the risks of AI, protect privacy, guard against misuse, prevent exacerbated bias and discrimination.”

Growing international efforts to regulate AI  

The UN resolution follows several international efforts to regulate the rapidly growing AI industry over ethics and security concerns.

The European Union recently approved the AI Act to set risk-based rules for AI across the 27-nation bloc. Investigations into potential antitrust issues around AI have also been launched against major tech companies.

In the US, President Biden signed an executive order last year initiating a national AI strategy with a focus on safety and security.

As AI capabilities advance, the UN resolution signals a global commitment to ensure the technology’s development aligns with ethical principles and benefits humanity as a whole.

“Developed in consultation with civil society and private sector experts, the resolution squarely addresses the priorities of many developing countries, such as encouraging AI capacity building and harnessing the technology to advance sustainable development,” explained Sullivan.

“Critically, the resolution makes clear that protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms must be central to the development and use of AI systems.”

The full text of the UN resolution can be found here.

(Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG)

See also: NVIDIA unveils Blackwell architecture to power next GenAI wave 

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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UK to pitch AI’s potential for international development at UN https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2023/09/18/uk-pitch-ai-potential-international-development-un/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2023/09/18/uk-pitch-ai-potential-international-development-un/#respond Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:28:39 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=13600 The UK is pitching its vision for leveraging AI’s potential to accelerate development in the world’s most impoverished nations during the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The vision was set out by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and calls upon international partners to collaborate and coordinate their efforts in harnessing AI for development in Africa and... Read more »

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The UK is pitching its vision for leveraging AI’s potential to accelerate development in the world’s most impoverished nations during the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The vision was set out by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and calls upon international partners to collaborate and coordinate their efforts in harnessing AI for development in Africa and making progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of its efforts, the UK is launching the ‘AI for Development’ programme in partnership with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The primary focus of this initiative is to assist developing countries, primarily in Africa, in building local AI capabilities and fostering innovation.

The announcement coincides with the UK’s co-convening of an event on AI during the margins of the UN General Assembly. This high-level session – chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken – will assemble governments, tech companies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to explore how AI can expedite progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals aim to create a healthier, fairer, and more prosperous world by 2030.

In parallel with these efforts, the UK is committing £1 million in investment towards a pioneering fund known as the Complex Risk Analytics Fund (‘CRAF’d’). This fund, in collaboration with international partners, will harness the power of AI to prevent crises before they occur. Additionally, it will provide assistance during emergencies and support countries in their recovery towards sustainable development.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

“The opportunity of AI is immense. It has already been shown to speed up drug discovery, help develop new treatments for common diseases, and predict food insecurity—to name only a few uses.

The UK, alongside our allies and partners, is making sure that the fulfilment of this enormous potential is shared globally.

As AI continues to rapidly evolve, we need a global approach that seizes the opportunities that AI can bring to solving humanity’s shared challenges. The UK-hosted AI summit this November will be key to helping us achieve this.”

Julie Delahanty, President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), expressed her satisfaction with the collaboration between IDRC and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

“IDRC is pleased to announce a new collaboration with FCDO, a key ally in tackling the most pressing development challenges,” said Delahanty.

“The AI for Development program will build on existing partnerships, leveraging AI’s capacity to reduce inequalities, address poverty, improve food systems, confront the challenges of climate change and make education more inclusive, while also mitigating risks.”

This announcement underscores the broader commitment of the UK to employ AI innovation to tackle global challenges, including the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In a separate event, scheduled for 1-2 November 2023, the UK will host the world’s first major AI Safety Summit at the historic Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire. This summit aims to garner international consensus on the urgent need for safety measures in cutting-edge AI technology.

See also: White House secures safety commitments from eight more AI companies

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with Digital Transformation Week.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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UN calls for ‘urgent’ action over AI’s risk to human rights https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2021/09/17/un-calls-for-urgent-action-over-ais-risk-to-human-rights/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2021/09/17/un-calls-for-urgent-action-over-ais-risk-to-human-rights/#respond Fri, 17 Sep 2021 14:15:13 +0000 http://artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=11092 The United Nations’ (UN) head of human rights has called for all member states to put a moratorium on the sale and use of artificial intelligence systems. UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet acknowledged that AI can be a “force for good” but that it could also have “negative, even catastrophic, effects” if... Read more »

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The United Nations’ (UN) head of human rights has called for all member states to put a moratorium on the sale and use of artificial intelligence systems.

UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet acknowledged that AI can be a “force for good” but that it could also have “negative, even catastrophic, effects” if the risks It poses are not addressed.

Bachelet’s comments come alongside a new report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The report analyses how AI affects people’s rights to privacy, health, education, freedom of movement, amongst other things.

“Artificial intelligence now reaches into almost every corner of our physical and mental lives and even emotional states. AI systems are used to determine who gets public services, decide who has a chance to be recruited for a job, and of course they affect what information people see and can share online,” Bachelet said.

Both the report and Bachelet’s comments follow the July revelations surrounding Pegasus spyware, which the UN rights chief described as part of the “unprecedented level of surveillance” being seen across the globe currently.

Bachelet insisted this situation is “incompatible” with human rights.

Now, in a similar vein, the OHCHR has turned its attention to AI.

According to the report, states and organisations often fail to carry out due diligence when rushing to build AI applications, leading to unjust treatment of individuals as a result of AI decision-making.

What’s more, data used to inform and guide AI systems can be faulty or discriminatory, and when stored for long periods of time could someday be exploited through yet unknown means.

“Given the rapid and continuous growth of AI, filling the immense accountability gap in how data is collected, stored, shared and used is one of the most urgent human rights questions we face,” Bachelet noted.

“The power of AI to serve people is undeniable, but so is AI’s ability to feed human rights violations at an enormous scale with virtually no visibility. Action is needed now to put human rights guardrails on the use of AI, for the good of all of us,” she stressed.

Find out more about Digital Transformation Week North America, taking place on 9-10 November 2021, a virtual event and conference exploring advanced DTX strategies for a ‘digital everything’ world.

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British PM Johnson warns of AI’s dangers in UN speech and invites leaders to summit https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/09/25/british-pm-johnson-ai-dangers-un-speech-leaders-summit/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/09/25/british-pm-johnson-ai-dangers-un-speech-leaders-summit/#respond Wed, 25 Sep 2019 16:23:01 +0000 https://d3c9z94rlb3c1a.cloudfront.net/?p=6053 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his maiden speech at the UN to warn of the dangers of AI and invite world leaders to a UK summit. Johnson opened his speech going over some of the usual things he says would be expected of a British PM: advancing democratic values, rules of a peaceful world,... Read more »

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his maiden speech at the UN to warn of the dangers of AI and invite world leaders to a UK summit.

Johnson opened his speech going over some of the usual things he says would be expected of a British PM: advancing democratic values, rules of a peaceful world, protecting freedom of navigation at sea, and finding a “two-state” solution to the conflict in the Middle-East.

“Of course, I’m proud to do all these things,” says Johnson. “But, no-one can ignore a gathering force that is reshaping the future of every member of this assembly. There has been nothing like it.”

Examples are given of past technological achievements such as the steam engine, aviation, and nuclear. Ultimately, all of these technologies were controlled by humans – for better or worse.

Automation, by its very nature, is increasingly taking away human control. Just earlier this week, AI News reported on comments by Microsoft chief Brad Smith who warned that killer robots are ‘unstoppable’ and a new digital Geneva Convention is needed.

Before sharing his personal concerns about emerging technologies like AI and the IoT, Johnson acknowledges their huge potential benefits.

“Smart cities will pullulate with sensors, all joined together by the Internet of Things,” says Johnson. “So no bin goes unemptied, no street unswept, and the urban environment is as antiseptic as a Zurich pharmacy.”

“Voice-connected connectivity will be in every room and almost every object. Your mattress will monitor your nightmares, your fridge will beep for more cheese, your front door will sweep wide open the moment you approach like some silent butler, your smart meter will go hustling on its own accord for the cheapest electricity.”

Of course, Johnson isn’t here to advertise the benefits of emerging technologies but to warn of the challenges they will present to nations around the world.

“They could also be used to keep every citizen under round-the-clock surveillance,” explains Johnson. “Every one of them will be minutely transcribing your every habit in tiny electronic shorthand – stored not in their chips where you can find it – but in some great cloud of data that hangs ever more oppressively over the human race.”

Johnson expresses the concern that, with each click or tap, we are ourselves becoming a resource.

Mass amounts of data about people is indisputably becoming ever more valuable. This could be for purposes such as targeting and influencing public opinion, as we saw with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, or for things such as training AI models.

“Data is the crude oil of the modern economy and we’re now in an environment where we don’t know who should own these new oil fields, who should have the rights or the title to these gushes of cash, and we don’t know who decides how to use that data.”

Johnson presents the audience with a series of rhetorical questions about the future of AI and the societal impacts it could have:

“Can these algorithms be trusted with our lives and our hopes? Should the machines decide whether or not we are eligible for a mortgage or insurance? What surgery or medicines we should receive? Are we doomed to a cold and heartless future in which a computer says yes or no with the grim finality of an emperor in the arena? How do you plead with an algorithm? How do you get it to see extenuating circumstances? How do we know that the machines have not been insidiously-programmed to fool us?”

Providing an example of how AI is being used today for malicious purposes, Johnson highlights that algorithms are enabling real-time censorship on messaging platforms in some countries.

“The digital authoritarianism is not alas the stuff of dystopian fantasy, but an emerging reality. The reason I’m giving this speech today with this gloomy proem is that the UK is one of the world’s tech leaders, and I believe governments have been simply caught unawares by the unintended consequences of the internet.”

Despite his warnings, Johnson says he’s optimistic about the ability of new technologies to “serve as a liberator and remake the world wondrously”.

Johnson points towards breakthroughs in nanotechnology allowing the development of robots a fraction the size of red blood cells that can swim through our bodies releasing medicine and attacking malignant cells. He also highlights neural interface technology which is enabling new cochlear implants and giving hearing to those without; allowing them to hear loved ones and sounds once again, or, perhaps, even for the first time.

“How we design the emerging technologies behind these breakthroughs and what values inform their design will shape the future of humanity,” says Johnson. “At stake is whether we bequeath an Orwellian world designed for censorship, oppression, and control; or a world of emancipation, debate, and learning. Where technology threatens famine and disease, but not our freedoms.”

Johnson acknowledges the work going on around the world to come up with rules around the development of groundbreaking technologies such as AI which will have a major effect on the very fabric of our societies:

“Month-by-month, vital decisions are being taken in academic committees, company boardrooms, and industry standards groups, they are writing the rulebooks of the future – making ethical judgments, choosing what will or will not be rendered possible. Together, we need to ensure that new advances reflect our values by design.

There is excellent work being done in the EU, the Commonwealth, and, of course, the UN, which has a vital role in ensuring that no country is excluded from the wonderful benefits of this technology and the industrial revolution it is bringing about.

But we must be still more ambitious. We need to find the right balance between freedom and control, between innovation and regulation, between private enterprise and government oversight. We must insist that the ethical judgments inherent in the design of new technology are transparent to all and we must make our voices heard more loudly in the standards bodies that write the rules. Above all, we need to agree a common set of global principles to shape the norms and standards that will guide the development of emerging technology.”

There are few better places to make the case for a new digital Geneva Convention as envisioned by Brad Smith than at the UN. Johnson used his speech to advocate for a new universal declaration and invited world leaders to a summit in the UK:

“Seven decades ago, this general assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with no dissenting voices, uniting humanity for the first time behind one set of principles. Our joint declaration upholds freedom of opinion and expression, the privacy of home and correspondence, and the right to seek and impart information and ideas. Unless we ensure that new technology reflects this spirit, I fear that declaration will mean nothing and no longer hold. So, the mission of the United Kingdom – and all who share our values – must be to ensure that emerging technologies are designed from the outset for freedom, openness, and pluralism; with the right safeguards in place to protect our peoples.

I invite you next year to a summit in London. We have, in the UK, by far, the biggest tech sector – fintech, biotech, edtech, medtech, nanotech, greentech, every kind of tech – in Europe.

We will seek to assemble the broadest possible coalition to take forward this vital task, building on all the UK contributes to this mission as a global leader in ethical and responsible technology. If we master this challenge, and I have no doubt that we can, then we will not only safeguard our ideals, we will surmount the limits that once constrained humanity and conquer the perils that once ended so many lives.”

Johnson ends on a positive note, with a rallying call to world leaders that it is possible to unlock the huge benefits of emerging technologies – while minimising their downsides – with a united approach.

“Together, we will vanquish killer diseases, eliminate famine, protect the environment, and transform our cities. Success will depend now, as ever, on freedom, openness, and pluralism; the formula that not only emancipates the human spirit, but releases the boundless ingenuity and inventiveness of mankind. And which, above all, the United Kingdom will strive to preserve.”

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this? Attend the co-located 5G Expo, IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam.

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UN: AI voice assistants fuel stereotype women are ‘subservient’ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/05/22/un-ai-voice-assistants-stereotype-women/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/05/22/un-ai-voice-assistants-stereotype-women/#respond Wed, 22 May 2019 14:01:44 +0000 https://d3c9z94rlb3c1a.cloudfront.net/?p=5675 A report from the UN claims AI voice assistants like Alexa and Siri are fueling the stereotype women are ‘subservient’. Published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the 146-page report titled “I’d blush if I could” highlights the market is dominated by female voice assistants. According to the researchers, the almost exclusive... Read more »

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A report from the UN claims AI voice assistants like Alexa and Siri are fueling the stereotype women are ‘subservient’.

Published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the 146-page report titled “I’d blush if I could” highlights the market is dominated by female voice assistants.

According to the researchers, the almost exclusive use of female voice assistants fuels stereotypes that women are “obliging, docile and eager-to-please helpers”.

The researchers also believe the lack of mannerisms required in speaking to current virtual assistants is also problematic. They claim the fact a virtual assistant will respond to requests no matter how it’s asked reinforces the idea women are “subservient and tolerant of poor treatment” in some communities.

Similarly, the fact virtual assistants can be summoned with just a “touch of a button or with a blunt voice command like ‘hey’ or ‘OK’,” makes it appear like women are available on demand.

Most virtual assistants use female voices by default but offer a male option. Technology giants such as Amazon and Apple have in the past said consumers prefer female voices for their assistants, with an Amazon spokesperson recently attributing these voices with more “sympathetic and pleasant” traits.

The report highlights virtual assistants are predominantly created with male engineering teams. Some cases even found assistants “thanking users for sexual harassment”, and that sexual advances from male users were tolerated more than from female users.

Siri was found to respond “provocatively to sexual favours” from male users, with phrases such as: “I’d blush if I could” (hence the report’s title) and “Oooh!”, but would do so less towards women.

The lack of ability for female voice assistants to defend themselves from sexist and hostile insults “may highlight her powerlessness,” claims the report. Such coding “projects a digitally encrypted ‘boys will be boys’ attitude” that “may help biases to take hold and spread”.

In a bid to help tackle the issue, the UN believes gender-neutral and non-human voices should be used. The researchers point towards Stephen Hawking’s famous robotic voice as one such example.

Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana all use female voices by default. Siri uses a male voice in Arabic, British English, Dutch, and French.

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and their use cases? Attend the co-located AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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UN: China and the US are leading the way in AI race https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/01/31/un-china-us-leading-ai-race/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/01/31/un-china-us-leading-ai-race/#respond Thu, 31 Jan 2019 17:46:20 +0000 https://d3c9z94rlb3c1a.cloudfront.net/?p=4862 A report from the United Nations highlights a dominance by China and the United States in the race to artificial intelligence supremacy. The study, by the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), was published on Thursday. US tech giant IBM is leading in AI patents with 8,920 filed. Microsoft followed with 5,930. Japan’s Toshiba has... Read more »

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A report from the United Nations highlights a dominance by China and the United States in the race to artificial intelligence supremacy.

The study, by the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), was published on Thursday.

US tech giant IBM is leading in AI patents with 8,920 filed. Microsoft followed with 5,930.

Japan’s Toshiba has the next highest number of patents (5,223), ahead of South Korea’s Samsung (5,102), and Japan’s NEC Group (4,406).

Chinese organisations make up 17 of the top 20 academic players in AI patenting, as well as 10 of the top 20 in AI-related scientific publications.

Machine learning is currently the most patented technique of artificial intelligence.The fastest growing, however, is deep learning with a 175 percent annual increase in patent applications from 2013 to 2016.

In terms of applications, ‘AI for robotics’ grew the fastest over the same period with an increase of 265 percent.

When delving into the growth of AI use per industry, transportation was by far the fastest growing (134%) which is of little surprise considering the investment around self-driving vehicles.

This industry was followed by telecommunications (84%), life and medical sciences (40%), and personal devices, computing, and HCI (36%).

With their large economies and populations, it’s unsurprising to see the US and China leading in AI.

Andrew Ng, renowned AI expert and CEO of DeepLearning.ai, said in the report: “It’s very difficult for other countries, even those with great education, to compete with the business, engineering, and investing talent” of China and the US.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry noted how the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe is an obstacle to machine learning.

Gurry fears a growing use of AI for military purposes by major geopolitical players, but that AI overall could be good for mankind if used properly.

“Is it (AI) good news or bad news? Well, I would tend to say that all technology is somewhat neutral and it depends on what you do with it,” he commented.

”So, insofar as you may use AI science and techniques for developing autonomous weapons systems that are going to kill us all, is not very good news. Insofar as it’s being used to improve health indicators for diagnostics, for other purposes, it’s great news.”

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and their use cases? Attend the co-located AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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UNICRI AI and Robotics Centre: AI will transform our world https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2018/07/02/un-head-ai-transform-world/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2018/07/02/un-head-ai-transform-world/#respond Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:58:03 +0000 https://d3c9z94rlb3c1a.cloudfront.net/?p=3427 Speaking at AI Expo in Amsterdam, Irakli Beridze from the AI and Robotics Centre at UNICRI provided his thoughts on how AI will transform our world. Irakli started with a positive note that’s easily forgotten: never has the world been more safe, connected, and prosperous. “We have developed technologies which have the potential to solve... Read more »

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Speaking at AI Expo in Amsterdam, Irakli Beridze from the AI and Robotics Centre at UNICRI provided his thoughts on how AI will transform our world.

Irakli started with a positive note that’s easily forgotten: never has the world been more safe, connected, and prosperous.

“We have developed technologies which have the potential to solve problems we never thought were possible,” says Beridze. “Most of them are related to the UN’s sustainable development goals.”

World-Changing Benefits

A look at the statistics provides evidence of a huge reduction in those dying from violence or living in extreme poverty. Many of the greatest threats we face today are shared challenges such as climate change, disease, and dwindling resources.

AI is a powerful tool which can help with all these challenges and more if we, as humankind, choose to use it this way. Alternatively, it could pose an existential threat.

Here are just some of the ways Beridze expects AI to aid the UN towards its goals:

Beridze dives deeper into some other potential benefits of AI to societies. A couple of the most interesting suggestions are its use to improve health and wellbeing, and to maintain peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Starting with health, Beridze highlights the use of AI to analyse large quantities of healthcare data in order to make scientific breakthroughs. Furthermore, it could be used to predict and project disease outbreaks to reduce mortality rates.

The impact of AI on healthcare is among our most covered subjects here on AI News. There are exciting developments on a near-daily basis.

Next up is the potential for AI when it comes to peace, law, and governance. Beridze believes AI can be integrated within an ‘e-government’ to reduce discrimination, prejudice, and corruption.

AI currently has a well-documented bias problem. However, solutions are becoming available to ensure the algorithms behind AIs are fair and do not favour any part of society over another. It’s ultimately easier to make a machine less discriminate than a person.

Global powers are seeking to establish themselves as leaders in AI. China and the US continue to be dominant by pumping billions of cash into developments, while smaller economies are playing to their own strengths.

Countries such as Japan are strong in fields such as robotics. The EU has the highest number of service robot manufacturing. Meanwhile, the UK is known for its leadership in ethics and strong academic attributes with leading universities.

There’s a now famous quote from Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking about AI which said: “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

Putin’s quote was received in many ways. Some believe it was simply a matter of fact, while others saw it as confirmation of a potentially reckless race between world powers to become a leader.

AI-as-a-Threat

Regardless of what states do, criminals will seek to exploit AI for their own gain. This could take many forms, but one clear example is that of impersonation.

During Google’s I/O conference this year, the company showed off its Duplex demo where an AI assistant called a hair salon on a user’s behalf and was convincing enough to pass for a human. By training such a system with someone else’s voice, fraud could be completely automated.

Beridze will be meeting with Interpol next month to discuss the new risks posed by criminals using artificial intelligence, and how law enforcement agencies can work to counter them.

“When talking about the good sides of AI, we should never forget about the possible risks,” warns Beridze. “One of the biggest risks is the pace of development with how quickly it’s being developed and how fast we can adapt to that.”

One major concern is the potential impact on jobs. Low-wage workers are particularly threatened by automation.

“We don’t really have any solutions,” Beridze says. “We have some ideas that have been put on the table such as; Universal Basic Income, retraining of the population, some even say to slow down the pace of innovation.”

Other concerns highlighted by Beridze includes automated weapons, superintelligent systems like SkyNet famously depicted in the Terminator movies, and using things such as bots to influence democratic processes.

Solving International Verification

One of the most interesting uses for AI is for the verification of incidents where nations do not trust each other. This has perhaps been seen most often between Western nations and Russia where there’s still a clear level of distrust.

Take the recent chemical attack in Salisbury, UK on a former spy and his daughter. Western nations agreed it could only have been carried out by Russia. For its part, Russia denies the allegations and claims to have been locked out of seeing any evidence.

Beridze served as a special projects officer at the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) prior to joining UNICRI.

The OPCW is an independent organisation working alongside the United Nations that investigates chemical attacks. Members of OPCW represent around 98 percent of the global population.

Until a ruling last week, the OPCW was prohibited from assigning blame for a chemical attack. In Salisbury, the organisation stated it agreed with the UK’s findings the nerve agent of the kind first developed by the Soviet Union.

There have also been multiple chemical attacks in Syria. One particularly devastating attack in Douma was to be investigated by the OPCW but investigators claim they were blocked from accessing the site by Syria and its Russian allies.

Investigators were eventually provided access over a week after. However, Chlorine – at least one of the suspected chemicals used – is notoriously difficult to detect even a day after because of its gaseous state.

Russia and Syria both reject claims that chemical weapons were used. Moscow has offered several narratives on Douma, claiming simultaneously that there never was an attack and that it was the work of rebels in the area.

France said it was likely the evidence is gone, and the USA accused Russia and Syria of tampering with the site.

When everyone is pointing the finger at each other, there needs to be independent verification. Whenever people are involved there’s nearly always some accusations of foul play.

A provably unbiased, open-source AI which examines the evidence could be the answer.

“The time has come where we should employ technologies like AI and blockchain to start verification of issues where countries do not trust each other,” says Beridze. “We need to make a major leap from a system created in the [19]40s, to 80 years down the road where we live in a completely different world.”

Beridze’s session highlighted both the near-limitless potential for AI to have a positive impact on the world, or it could just as easily be devastating.

One thing is for sure, AI will transform our world. For better or worse, that’s up to all of us.

You can watch our interview with Irakli Beridze below:

Find out more about AI Expo and the next event here.

What impact do you think AI will have on the world? Let us know in the comments.

 Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the  IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo so you can explore the future of enterprise technology in one place.

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Researchers call for ‘global stand’ against AI militarisation https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2017/11/07/researchers-stand-ai-militarisation/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2017/11/07/researchers-stand-ai-militarisation/#respond Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:36:16 +0000 https://d3c9z94rlb3c1a.cloudfront.net/?p=2665 Researchers want to prevent AI from being militarised in an open letter sent to governments calling for a “firm global stand” against it becoming weaponised. Humans will find any possible way to use advancements for destructive purposes. The obvious example, and one that will hopefully be remembered by global powers as they make their decisions,... Read more »

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Researchers want to prevent AI from being militarised in an open letter sent to governments calling for a “firm global stand” against it becoming weaponised.

Humans will find any possible way to use advancements for destructive purposes. The obvious example, and one that will hopefully be remembered by global powers as they make their decisions, is that of the nuclear bomb.

AI could become the ‘nuclear arms race’ of the 21st century as nations compete to prove their supremacy. There’s great potential for AI in a defensive capacity, such as shooting down incoming missiles, but there should be concern about its use for direct offense or automated retaliation.

Researchers from Australia and Canada have issued an open letter to the respective prime ministers of each country, Malcolm Turnbull and Justin Trudeau, urging their support in taking a global stand against the weaponisation of AI.

“Our government can reclaim its position of moral leadership on the world stage as demonstrated previously in other areas like the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” reads the letter.

A conference is upcoming by the United Nations on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which was first concluded in Geneva on October 10th, 1980, and entered into force in December 1983. The convention seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of certain conventional weapons which are considered excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate.

The letter is signed by more than 300 robotics and AI experts and highlights that no human control would cross a “clear moral line” when talking about lethal automated systems. Some people criticise remote-controlled military drones for the potential of targets just being seen as pixels on a screen, but removing the human input altogether could be catastrophic.

“As many AI and robotics corporations—including Australian companies—have recently urged, autonomous weapon systems threaten to become the third revolution in warfare. If developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever before, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend.”

“The deadly consequence of this is that machines— not people—will determine who lives and dies. Australia’s AI community does not condone such uses of AI. We want to study, create and promote its beneficial uses.”

The UN’s conference on the CCW was initially scheduled to take place in August, but was rescheduled due to a lack of funding. Talks will now begin from November 14th.

Are you concerned about AI becoming militarised? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the  IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo so you can explore the future of enterprise technology in one place.

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