This report asserts the urgent need for global cooperation in AI development, highlighting its potential benefits and risks. It emphasizes the vital role of governance in controlling AI’s risks and guarantees accountability. The aim is to amplify AI’s positive influence through guiding principles and institutional roles that promote inclusivity, public interest, data governance, a universal multi-stakeholder approach, and compliance with international law.

Overall

The Global Governance Deficit

A few entities currently monopolize the benefits of AI, leading to uneven harm. Therefore, according to the report, we need global governance to ensure accessibility, representation, oversight, and accountability. It’s crucial to prevent irresponsible AI practices that geopolitical competition drives. The UN, dedicated to peace, security, human rights, and development, can bridge this governance gap due to its unique position. It asserts that the UN can establish a global governance system based on shared values to address AI’s challenges and opportunities. Lastly, it outlines how UN institutions can play a role in maximizing AI benefits and reducing risks.

Opportunities and Enablers

AI can revolutionize access to knowledge and efficiency and help communities affected by climate change. Given their potential environmental impact, it’s crucial to harness diverse datasets, lower machine learning costs for nonprofits, and develop sustainable AI practices. Solutions should be rooted in community values, and all stages of AI projects should include non-technical stakeholders. Scaling AI solutions requires collaboration and significant funding.

International Governance of AI

Emphasizes the urgent need for a global AI governance framework due to AI’s transboundary nature and widespread use. It underscores the importance of equal participation, accessibility, representation, and accountability in governance. It also highlights the need to curb reckless AI practices. Given its commitment to peace, security, human rights, and sustainable development, the UN is ideally positioned to lead AI governance. Also, it suggests that the UN should actively promote a unified approach based on agreed values and adaptability to maximize AI benefits and minimize risks globally.

Guiding Principle 1

Insists on making AI universally accessible and beneficial. It emphasizes the need for widespread participation in AI development and usage to tackle global issues. It strongly advises that all citizens, especially those from the Global South, should have opportunities to create and benefit from AI, fostering inclusive development. To achieve this, it urges actions to correct historical and structural exclusions in tech development and governance and ensure all communities’ participation in shaping AI. It also encourages making AI accessible to all and building capacity to turn digital divides into opportunities for all.

Guiding Principle 2

It emphasizes the importance of managing AI for the public interest. It highlights that tech companies primarily develop AI systems, which necessitates broader participation in their refinement and use. The report calls for AI governance that favors societal needs over individual or corporate interests and promotes transparency, accountability, and ethics. The report emphasizes the need for diverse participation in shaping AI governance to balance power in the AI sector and ensure its benefit to society.

Guiding Principle 3

It stresses the importance of concurrent development in AI and data governance. It highlights data’s crucial role in AI, the need for public interest-driven data management, and the urgency of regulations ensuring data privacy and security. The principle recommends using data within legal limits for AI applications, a key step towards establishing public data commons for societal issues like climate change and public health. It emphasizes collective efforts to build data governance frameworks that promote AI innovation, protect individual rights, and serve the common good.

Guiding Principle 4

AI governance must be universally applicable, interconnected, and flexibly collaborative. It calls for broad agreement from diverse members and stakeholders and emphasizes inclusive participation, especially from previously excluded communities in the Global South, to ensure accountability in AI regulations. The principle proposes the utilization of existing institutions and the creation of new roles within a network structure for better coordination. It advocates cross-sector collaboration to devise governance frameworks addressing AI’s societal impacts. Recognizing the importance of global best practices and diverse cultural ideologies in AI development, it recommends engaging stakeholders effectively. These measures are crucial for establishing a cohesive and interoperable AI governance framework.

Guiding Principle 5

It highlights the need to base AI governance on international frameworks like the UN Charter and International Human Rights Law. The UN is vital in aligning AI governance with its core values, assessing AI’s global impact, and upholding human rights. Several UN agencies have contributed to understanding AI’s implications across various sectors. The Global Digital Act and the roadmap for digital cooperation exemplify collaborative efforts towards a universal governance framework for AI. The active involvement of UN member states and diverse stakeholders is essential in this process.

Institutional Function 1

Underlines the role of scientific assessment in AI governance. It suggests conducting semi-annual public reviews of AI policies to track the AI landscape’s evolution accurately. These reviews are essential for identifying trends, challenges, and best practices, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions. The report also highlights the need for evidence-based policymaking and ongoing monitoring to ensure AI governance frameworks remain current and flexible amid rapid technological advancements.

Institutional Function 2

Proposes creating a global AI governance framework endorsed by the United Nations (UN) to strengthen global governance interoperability and alignment with international norms. It emphasizes that AI governance must be compatible across jurisdictions and adhere to internationally accepted norms, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The proposed Global AI Governance Framework aims to enhance worldwide uniformity in AI governance practices. It seeks to stimulate collaboration, information sharing, and mutual understanding among countries and organizations that regulate AI technologies. Its ultimate goal is to provide a shared foundation for tackling AI’s ethical, legal, and societal challenges, fostering a more inclusive approach to global AI governance.

Institutional Function 3

Underscores the need to establish and harmonize standards, safety measures, and risk management strategies for artificial intelligence (AI). With numerous initiatives attempting to create technical and ethical standards for AI, it recognizes a lack of global alignment and harmonization. Therefore, it calls for universal standards and frameworks to ensure the safe and ethical use of AI technologies across jurisdictions. By advocating consistency in AI standards and risk management, it seeks to enhance interoperability, stimulate international collaboration, and minimize risks associated with AI applications. Ultimately, standardizing and harmonizing safety measures is vital for promoting trust, transparency, and accountability in AI’s development and use, thus encouraging the responsible advancement of AI technologies for societal benefits.

Institutional Function 4

Underlines the importance of promoting AI’s societal and economic benefits through international cooperation. This requires active collaboration among countries, organizations, and stakeholders to harness AI’s potential positively. It aims to leverage AI to address global challenges, stimulate innovation, and enhance economic growth through cooperative AI research, development, and deployment. It also stresses the need for AI strategies that are inclusive and sustainable and prioritize societal well-being, ethical considerations, and human rights. Stakeholders can maximize AI benefits, mitigate risks, and align AI technologies with shared values and principles through effective cooperation.

Institutional Function 5

Endorses international collaboration in developing talent, computing infrastructure, diverse datasets, and AI-enabled public goods under Institutional Function 5. This role directly aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It focuses on using AI to tackle global challenges and foster sustainable development. The goal is to broaden access to AI resources and ensure diversity in AI development, providing benefits for all social segments. By cultivating global partnerships, the report indicates that we can leverage AI for social good, economic growth, and environmental sustainability, leading to a more inclusive future.

Institutional Function 6

Emphasizes the importance of actively monitoring AI risks and reporting incidents. It proposes the establishment of mechanisms to assess potential AI risks and respond swiftly to emergencies. Proactive oversight of AI developments and incidents allows stakeholders to detect and promptly address risks, vulnerabilities, and challenges, mitigating negative impacts. Furthermore, it highlights the need for well-coordinated responses to AI-related emergencies, ensuring AI systems’ safety, security, and resilience. This diligent risk monitoring, incident reporting, and emergency coordination increase trust, transparency, and accountability in AI technologies, fostering responsible and sustainable AI progression for societal benefit.

Institutional Function 7

Calls for compliance and accountability within AI governance. It highlights the need for both binding and non-binding norms to guide global AI development and usage responsibly. Transparency, accountability, and ethics within the AI ecosystem can be promoted by ensuring stakeholders follow these norms and standards. The function also points to international institutions like the United Nations’ significant role in creating these norms and filling any accountability gaps within AI governance. By enforcing adherence to norms and promoting accountability, this function intends to foster trust, encourage responsible AI use, and address AI technologies’ ethical and societal challenges.

Conclusion and Next Steps

It concludes by emphasizing the need for international AI governance to tackle the multifaceted issues and opportunities AI presents effectively. It advocates an approach rooted in human rights, ethics, and global cooperation, explicitly highlighting the United Nations’ significant role. Implementing a Global AI Governance framework grounded in international norms is essential to guide AI development and deployment. Hence, it underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and trust for responsible and ethical AI use. Instead of suggesting a specific governance model, it focuses on the principles a regime should uphold. Thus, it calls for proactive, coordinated initiatives for AI governance to foster innovation, safeguard human rights, and address societal issues.

The report’s “Next Steps” section outlines the future of AI governance, emphasizing principles and functions over a specific model. It underscores the urgent need for effective global governance, the importance of bridging the gap between principles and practical impact, and the necessity for enhanced collaboration between international institutions, national and regional frameworks, and the private sector. Lastly, it reaffirms a continuous commitment to advancing global AI governance initiatives.