G7 calls for developing global technical standards for AI

Published May 21, 2023
Leaders and delegates pose for a photo ahead of a G7 working session on food, health and development during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 20, 2023. — Reuters
Leaders and delegates pose for a photo ahead of a G7 working session on food, health and development during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 20, 2023. — Reuters

TOKYO: Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday called for the development and adoption of technical standards to keep artificial intelligence (AI) “trustworthy”, saying governance of the technology has not kept pace with its growth.

While the G7 leaders, meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, recognised that the approaches to achieving “the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may vary”, they said in a statement the rules for digital technologies like AI should be “in line with our shared democratic values”.

The agreement came after the European Union, which participates in the G7, inched closer this month to passing legislation to regulate AI technology, potentially the world’s first comprehensive AI law that could form a precedent among the advanced economies.

“We want AI systems to be accurate, reliable, safe and non-discriminatory, regardless of their origin,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

The G7 leaders said they “need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI”, a subset of the technology popularised by the ChatGPT app.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT pushed Elon Musk and a group of AI experts to raise an alarm in March calling for a six-month pause in developing more powerful systems, citing potential risks to society. A month later, EU lawmakers urged world leaders to find ways to control AI technologies, saying they were developing faster than expected.

The United States so far has taken a cautious approach on governing AI, with President Joe Biden last month saying it remained to be seen whether AI is dangerous. Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI, told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the US should consider licensing and testing requirements for development of AI models.

Japan, this year’s chair of G7, has been even more accommodative, pledging support for public and industrial adoption of AI while monitoring its risks. “It’s important to properly deal with both the potentials and risks,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the government’s AI council last week.

The Western nations’ differing approaches to AI are in contrast to China’s restrictive policy. Its cyberspace regulator in April unveiled draft measures to align generative AI-powered services with the country’s core socialist values.

While acknowledging differences on how AI should be regulated, the G7 leaders agreed on Friday to create a ministerial forum dubbed the “Hiroshima AI process” to discuss issues around generative AI, such as copyrights and disinformation, by the end of this year.

The leaders also urged international organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to consider analysis on the impact of policy developments.

The summit followed a G7 digital ministers’ meeting last month, where its members — the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and the EU — said they should adopt “risk-based” AI rules.

The EU and US are also expected to exchange views on emerging technologies at the Trade and Technology Council in Sweden on May 30-31.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...