UN official warns of AI risks amid rapid advances, calls for inclusive development
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union, emphasizes the urgency of harnessing the power of artificial intelligence for the greater good while avoiding significant risks
Humanity is in a race against time to harness the immense power of artificial intelligence (AI) for the greater good while averting significant risks, a top UN official emphasized on Thursday.
“We’ve let the genie out of the bottle,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union (ITU). “We are in a race against time,” she stated during the opening of a two-day AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva.
The summit, which drew thousands of participants, showcased how advancements in generative AI are already accelerating efforts to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, including climate change, hunger, and social care.
“I believe we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to guide AI to benefit all the world’s people,” Bogdan-Martin told the media ahead of the summit. However, she lamented that one-third of humanity remains completely offline, thus excluded from the AI revolution and without a voice. “This digital and technological divide is no longer acceptable,” she said.
Bogdan-Martin emphasized that AI holds “immense potential for both good and bad” and stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of AI systems. This concern is particularly pressing given that “2024 is the biggest election year in history,” with elections in dozens of countries, including the United States. She highlighted the threat posed by “sophisticated deep fake disinformation campaigns” and warned that the misuse of AI could threaten democracy, endanger young people’s mental health, and compromise cybersecurity.
Other experts at the conference echoed Bogdan-Martin’s concerns. Tristan Harris, a technology ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, urged attendees to consider the implications of AI development.
He drew parallels with social media, which, despite initial promises to connect people and amplify voices, also led to addiction, viral misinformation, online harassment, and increased mental health issues. Harris cautioned that the competitive drive of companies like OpenAI and Google could exacerbate these negative impacts.
“The number one thing that is driving OpenAI or Google behavior is the race to actually achieve market dominance,” Harris said. He stressed the need for “governance that moves at the speed of technology.”
Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View, also called for a more robust institutional response. “This is a technology that tends to winner-take-all, and the rewards are so high that there is quite the unseemly land grab going on at the moment,” he told the gathering.
Bogdan-Martin acknowledged recent efforts by governments and organizations to establish protections and regulations around AI. On Wednesday, the European Union announced the creation of an AI Office to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law.
“It’s our responsibility to write the next chapter in the great story of humanity and technology, to make it safe, to make it inclusive, and to make it sustainable,” Bogdan-Martin concluded.
Source: AFP
