AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn

UNITED NATIONS, United States — The development of artificial intelligence should not be guided by market forces alone, UN experts cautioned on Thursday, calling for the creation of tools for global cooperation.

But they held back from suggesting the formation of a muscular worldwide governing body to oversee the rollout and evolution of the technology, whose proliferation has raised fears around biases, misuse and dependence.

The panel of around 40 experts from the fields of technology, law and data protection was established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October.

Their report, published days before the start of the UN’s high-profile “Summit of the Future,” raises alarm over the lack of global governance of AI as well as the exclusion of developing countries from debates surrounding the technology.

“There is, today, a global governance deficit with respect to AI,” which by its nature is cross-border, the experts warned in their report.

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“AI must serve humanity equitably and safely,” Guterres said this week.

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“Left unchecked, the dangers posed by artificial intelligence could have serious implications for democracy, peace and stability.”

‘Too late’? 

Against the backdrop of his clarion call, the experts called on UN members to put in place mechanisms to ease global cooperation on the issue, as well as to prevent unintended proliferation.

“The development, deployment and use of such a technology cannot be left to the whims of markets alone,” the report said.

It called firstly for the creation of a group of scientific AI experts that would be modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose reports are the last word on the issue of climate change.

The panel would brief the international community on emerging risks and identify research needs as well as explore how it could be used to alleviate hunger, poverty, and gender inequality, among other goals.

That proposal is included in the draft Global Digital Compact, still under discussion, which is due to be adopted Sunday at the “Summit of the Future.”

The report endorses setting up a loose “coordination” structure within the UN secretariat.

But it stops short of a full-fledged international governance body — like that sought by Guterres — based on the model of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

“If the risks of AI become more serious, and more concentrated, it might become necessary for Member States to consider a more robust international institution with monitoring, reporting, verification and enforcement powers,” the report said.

Guterres nonetheless welcomed the report and its recommendations, saying in a video they were “a blueprint to build on existing efforts and together shape an international AI architecture that is inclusive, agile and effective.”

The authors acknowledged that owing to the warp speed of change in AI, it would be pointless to attempt to draw up a comprehensive list of dangers presented by the ever-evolving technology.

But they singled out the perils of disinformation for democracy, increasingly realistic deepfakes (particularly those that are pornographic), as well as the evolution of autonomous weapons and AI use by criminal and terrorist groups.

“Given the speed, autonomy and opacity of AI systems, however, waiting for a threat to emerge may mean that any response will come too late,” the report said.

“Continued scientific assessments and policy dialogue would ensure that the world is not surprised.”

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