The General Assembly will vote Thursday on the first UN resolution on artificial intelligence to ensure the powerful new technology benefits all nations, respects human rights, and is “safe, secure and trustworthy.”
The US sponsored the resolution and believes all 193 U.N. members will vote for it by consensus. The resolution would be a “historic step forward” in AI safety, according to U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The resolution “would represent global support for a baseline set of principles for the development and use of AI and would lay out a path to leverage AI systems for good while managing the risks,” he told The Associated Press in March.
The proposed resolution seeks to narrow the digital divide between wealthy and developing nations and include them in AI discussions. It also wants to ensure that poor nations have the technology and skills to use AI to identify diseases, anticipate floods, support farmers, and train the next generation of workers.
AI development and use are accelerating, therefore the proposal emphasizes “the urgency of achieving global consensus on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems.”
It acknowledges that “the governance of artificial intelligence systems is an evolving area” that requires additional governance talks. Big tech corporations have supported AI regulation and lobbied for favorable standards.
The first comprehensive AI guidelines were approved by EU lawmakers on March 13, and they are expected to take effect in May or June following a few final procedures.
The U.S., China, and the Group of 20 major industrialized nations are also drafting AI legislation. In addition, the draft resolution notes U.N. initiatives by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the International Telecommunication Union to deploy AI for global good.
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