Artificial intelligence has stoked security fears and concerns for years, but a new global resolution to protect the public could provide much-needed reassurance.
The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution to protect personal data, monitor AI for potential risks including scams, and protect human rights.
The resolution – proposed by the United States – is not binding but was agreed to by all 193 UN member countries and co-sponsored by non-members from 123 countries, including China and Russia.
The resolution comes as high-profile tech moguls have expressed concerns about the reliability of AI, including Geoffrey Hinton – the “godfather of AI” – who said last year that he regretted for creating this technology and feared that machines could take over.
All 193 UN members signed a resolution on AI to protect people’s data and human rights
The White House called the resolution a “historic step” and Vice President Kamala Harris said she and President Joe Biden were committed to establishing safeguards against AI.
The White House welcomed the resolution, calling it a “historic step” to ensure “trustworthy” progress in AI.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote in a statement: “The resolution adopted today sets out a comprehensive vision for how countries should respond to the opportunities and challenges of AI.
“It charts the course for international cooperation on AI, including to promote equitable access, take steps to manage AI risks, protect privacy, guard against abuse and prevent bias and discrimination exacerbated.”
It took three months for countries to finalize negotiations and agree on global privacy policies to ensure that AI technology benefits all nations and is “safe, secure and trustworthy.”
The resolution emphasizes that countries must agree on the “design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems” which are accelerating.
“We are navigating choppy waters with rapidly evolving technology, which means it is more important than ever to navigate in light of our values,” a senior UN administration official said, adding that this resolution is the “first truly global consensus document on AI.
This resolution aims to bridge the technological gap between Western countries and poorer third world countries to ensure that their technology is advanced enough to benefit from AI.
“The inappropriate or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems (…) present risks that could (…) undermine the protection, promotion and enjoyment human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the resolution states.
Fraudsters have used AI to steal people’s data and money and have been used to impersonate family members over the phone, making their loved ones believe they are in trouble and have need money immediately before extracting thousands of dollars from them.
AI has been used to create fake videos and photos of people without their knowledge or consent.
AI has also been used to create fake photos and videos of celebrities and everyday people, and because most violations are committed using complex algorithms, it can be difficult to hold actors accountable for any harm caused.
“Now is the time to not only ensure that AI systems respect rights by design, but also to ensure that those affected by these technologies are not only meaningfully involved in decision-making about how AI technology should be regulated, but also that their experiences continually resurface and are centered in these discussions,” Amnesty International said. reported.
The agreement among all UN members and the support of other countries was a major development.
UN members said there had been “many lively conversations”. … But we have actively engaged with China, Russia, Cuba and other countries who often disagree with us on certain issues.’
According to the resolution, all participating countries will ensure that it is adopted and developed in a secure manner that prevents systems from exposing people’s data and will ensure that all nations can benefit from it.
Vice President Kamala Harris, America’s AI czar, said in a statement that the White House welcomes the adoption of the resolution by the UN.
She continued: “President Biden and I are committed to establishing and strengthening international rules and standards on emerging technologies – because technologies with global impact, like AI, require global action, and when When it comes to the challenges of the 21st century, we believe all nations must be guided by a common set of understandings.
The resolution comes after AI faced increased scrutiny from top tech executives who described a “world on fire” scenario, with many warning that AI machines could take over, leading to an “extinction level” event.
The tech titans wrote a letter in March 2023 urging lawmakers to force companies to pause their AI software developments.
“In recent months, AI labs have been engaged in an uncontrollable race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can reliably understand, predict or control,” said the report. letter which has been signed by over 1,000 developers and technology experts.
Among those who signed the letter were X owner Elon Musk and OpenAI ChatGPT founder Sam Altman.
Hinton also predicted what steps technology could take to spiral out of control and cause the extinction of humanity.
“One way these systems could escape control is by writing their own computer code to modify themselves.” And that’s something we need to be seriously concerned about,” Hinton said. CNBC Last year.
The godfather of AI even went so far as to say he regretted building the technology, but he said The New York Times: ‘I console myself with the normal excuse: if I hadn’t done it, someone else would have done it.’