Published: 14:20, September 19, 2024
UN advisory body makes seven recommendations for governing AI
By Reuters
The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cellphone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec 8, 2023, in Boston. (PHOTO / XINHUA) 

STOCKHOLM - An artificial-intelligence advisory body at the United Nations on Thursday released its final report proposing seven recommendations to address AI-related risks and gaps in governance.

The UN last year created a 39-member advisory body to address issues in the international governance of AI. The recommendations will be discussed during a UN summit held in September.

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The advisory body called for the establishment of a panel to provide impartial and reliable scientific knowledge about AI and address information asymmetries between AI labs and the rest of the world.

Since the release of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, the use of AI has spread rapidly, raising concerns about fueling misinformation, fake news and infringement of copyrighted material.

A Peking-opera-performing humanoid robot is pictured during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services in the Cultural & Tourism Service thematic exhibition area at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept 15, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA) 

Only a handful of countries have created laws to govern the spread of AI tools. The European Union has been ahead of the rest by passing a comprehensive AI Act compared with the United States' approach of voluntary compliance while China has aimed to maintain social stability and state control.

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The United States was among about 60 countries that endorsed a "blueprint for action" to govern responsible use of AI in the military on Sept. 10, while China did not support the legally non-binding document.

With the development of AI in the hands of a few multinational companies, there is a danger that the technology could be imposed on people without them having a say in how it is used, the UN said in a statement.

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It also recommended a new policy dialogue on AI governance, creating an AI standards exchange and a global AI capacity development network to boost governance capacities.

Among other proposals, the UN wants a global AI fund to be established, which would address gaps in capacity and collaboration. It also advocates the formation of a global AI data framework to ensure transparency and accountability.

Finally, the UN report proposed setting up a small AI office to support and coordinate the implementation of these proposals.