UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for the development of a set of international guidelines to address the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.

The resolution, co-sponsored by dozens of countries and adopted by consensus, emphasises the necessity of guidelines “to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems,” while excluding military AI from its purview.

On the whole, the resolution, prepared by the United States, focuses more on the technology’s positive potential, and calls for special care “to bridge the artificial intelligence and other digital divides between and within countries.” It also seeks “to promote, not hinder, digital transformation and equitable access” to AI in order to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to ensure a better future for humanity by 2030.

“As AI technologies rapidly develop, there is urgent need and unique opportunities for member states to meet this critical moment with collective action,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said earlier, reading a joint statement by the dozens of co-sponsor countries.

According to Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, “the emphasis on development is a deliberate effort by the US to win goodwill among poorer nations.” “It is easier to talk about how AI can help developing countries progress rather than tackle security and safety topics head-on as a first initiative,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024