UNESCO Deputy Director General Asia-Regina said that artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace, while governance and regulatory frameworks struggle to keep up with the accelerating rate of development, pointing to growing international calls to strengthen cooperation on AI governance.
اضافة اعلان
Regina added, during the opening of UNESCO's Fourth Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Riyadh, that the world is going through "a decisive moment" in the development of this technology, at a time when warnings from within major AI companies about the pace of development and the challenges of overseeing it are increasing.
The Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence is considered the main international platform for advancing ethical AI governance. Its fourth edition brings together governments, international organizations, academia, industry, and civil society at one table, to turn UNESCO's recommendations on AI ethics into shared, implementable practices.
Regina said: "Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace, perhaps faster than it should be, while governance struggles to keep up with it."
She noted that the United Nations' first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, held in Geneva last July, emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that all countries participate in shaping the rules of AI governance.
She explained that 109 countries have begun implementing UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted by member states in 2021, while the organization's AI readiness assessment methodology is being applied in 78 countries around the world.
She added that Saudi Arabia completed UNESCO's AI readiness assessment process last year, and that the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics has joined the organization's network of Category 2 centers, aiming to strengthen research and build capacity in the field of AI ethics.
Regina affirmed that UNESCO's efforts are not limited to policymaking, but also include supporting governments and institutions in applying the ethical principles of artificial intelligence, and building the capacity needed for the responsible use of modern technologies.
She said that more than 50,000 government employees and judicial sector workers around the world have benefited from training programs supported by UNESCO in the field of AI, alongside tens of thousands of participants in specialized educational and training programs.
She also warned of the continued concentration of resources and influence in the AI sector among a limited number of entities, saying: "We know that a lot of money, and a lot of power, are concentrated in the hands of a few."
She stressed the importance of building more inclusive artificial intelligence that takes linguistic and cultural diversity into account and ensures the representation of languages with less digital presence, including Arabic.
She pointed out that women represent only 26 percent of workers in the fields of data and artificial intelligence, warning that the absence of women from system design and decision making could lead to entrenching biases within these technologies.
She affirmed that the Fourth Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, hosted by Riyadh from September 14 to 17, represents a new step toward turning the principles of AI ethics into practical applications on a wider scale, ensuring that this technology serves humanity and the public good.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
