UN advisory body makes seven recommendations for governing AI

By Supantha Mukherjee

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – 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 U.N. last year created a 39-member advisory body to address issues in the international governance of AI. The recommendations will be discussed during a U.N. summit held in September.

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.

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.

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 U.N. said in a statement.

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 U.N. 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 U.N. report proposed setting up a small AI office to support and coordinate the implementation of these proposals.