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Shaping a safe and equitable digital future
A surge in the development of powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tools is already improving lives but is also bringing fresh urgency to calls for regulation, as more and more governments wake up to the risks. Effective global regulation to ensure that AI is developed safely for the benefit of all is urgently needed
As the world navigates rapid digital transformation, the 19th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future.” Bringing together participants from over 170 countries, the Forum comes at a pivotal moment following the recent adoption of the Global Digital Compact (GDC). The comprehensive framework, adopted as part of the Pact for the Future, aims to ensure digital technologies serve humanity’s best interests.
In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the transformative power of digital technology. He stated: “Digital technology has fundamentally reshaped our world and holds enormous potential to accelerate human progress. “But unlocking this potential for all people requires guardrails, and a collaborative approach to governance,” he emphasised.
Participants tackled key issues such as digital inclusion, artificial intelligence governance and countering online misinformation. Despite the rapid expansion of digital technology, 2.6 billion people worldwide remain offline with the majority residing in developing countries. Addressing this gap, alongside fostering trust and security in the digital realm, will be central to the Forum’s discussions. Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said that IGF Riyadh 2024 “offers a global platform to promote international digital cooperation in the era of AI”. He encouraged stakeholders to deeply engage in the Forum in Riyadh, to help “shape innovative Internet governance and support a prosperous and sustainable digital future for the benefit of humanity”.
The Forum also aims to reinforce human rights in digital spaces, with a focus on equitable data use and privacy protections. In a rapidly changing digital world, the collaborative efforts led by the IGF and the GDC will be essential in ensuring that technology serves humanity and promotes a future where no one is left behind.
A surge in the development of powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tools is already improving lives but is also bringing fresh urgency to calls for regulation, as more and more governments wake up to the risks. Effective global regulation to ensure that AI is developed safely for the benefit of all is urgently needed.
Early 2024, an audience in a Geneva conference hall sat captivated by a video screen carrying live pictures of a 25-year-old man in Portugal suffering from ‘locked-in syndrome’, a devastating neurological disorder that causes patients to lose control of their body; some two years after contracting the condition, he was unable to move or speak. Nevertheless, he was able to communicate with the audience and answer a series of questions, using his mind to connect with a digital, AI-powered tool that translated his thoughts into words, spoken in his voice.
The experience was overwhelming for many in the audience, several of whom were in tears. “I had to compose myself,” says Fred Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN agency for digital technology, and one of the organizers of the AI for Good summit. “Yes, there are many discussions around safety, privacy, ethics and sustainability, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that lives are being saved by AI.” Werner was quick to point out that the positive aspects of AI are not being overlooked by the UN. “We’ve identified over 400 applications of AI across the UN system. It’s being used in areas ranging from natural hazards management to human rights monitoring, a wide selection of sustainable development-related activities”.
Whilst the Geneva demonstration of AI technology serves as a powerful example of the positive effect that artificial intelligence can have on people’s lives, Werner acknowledged that excitement over the potential benefits of AI is tempered by the risks. “I think that AI is moving so fast that there is no time to waste. How do we deal with deepfakes, and misinformation? We have to really collaborate on creating international AI standards.”
Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data can play a central role in optimizing energy consumption of our digital world. For example, by harnessing AI algorithms, data centers can optimize energy efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce their carbon footprint, ITU says.
However, as the use of digital products and services grows, so does the amount of energy and water used, and e-waste produced. Growing levels of digitization demand more energy, which raises greenhouse gas emissions. AI programmes need servers that run around the clock. These servers and the data centres that house them use a lot of electricity. In addition, even more energy is required to cool the data centers. These and other need to be debated threadbare in the days to come.(UN News)
