UN chief backs proposal of global AI watchdog like nuclear agency

On June 12, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres endorsed a proposal by some executives working in artificial intelligence (AI) to establish an international agency to monitor AI akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Notably, during the world tour to discuss artificial intelligence, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested an international watchdog regulate and monitor this emerging technology.

While talking to the media, Guterres states, “Alarm bells over the latest form of artificial intelligence – generative AI – are deafening. And they are loudest from the developers who designed it”. He added, “We must take those warnings seriously”.

Guterres has stated that by the end of the year, he intends to begin work on developing a high-level AI advisory group. This group will be responsible for reviewing AI governance arrangements on a regular basis and making recommendations on how to make them more in line with human rights, the rule of law, and the common good. He further states, “I would be favourable to the idea that we could have an artificial intelligence agency… inspired by what the international agency of atomic energy is today”.

Although Guterres acknowledged that such a model “could be very interesting”. But he also pointed out that “only member states, not the Secretariat of the United Nations, can create it”.

Recently, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced “the first major global summit on AI safety” on June 7 while on an official visit to Washington. The summit aims to bring “key countries, leading tech companies, and researchers” to assess and scrutinise the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. The summit is scheduled to happen later this year.

Guterres said he favoured the idea of a global summit in Britain, but insisted that “serious work” should be done beforehand. He stated that in the coming days, he is planning to appoint a scientific advisory board consisting of AI experts and chief scientists from UN agencies.

As countries and tech companies continue to look for solutions to curb the risks of artificial intelligence, countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and India are developing a legal framework to regulate artificial intelligence.

While interacting with the media last month, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed his concern related to artificial intelligence, “The whole world is looking at what should be the framework, and what should be the regulatory setup. In G7, all digital ministers (of G7 countries) are seriously concerned about what should be the regulatory framework. So, this is a global thing. This is not one country’s issue. This has to be looked at from the international perspective”.

Generative artificial intelligence is the talk of the town, and apps such as ChatGPT have raised concerns about the fear of being misused. Strong concerns are raised that AI will replace millions of people. The capacity of artificial intelligence to blur the lines between reality and fiction poses the greatest threat since it will provide cybercriminals with a simple and efficient tool for spreading misinformation, experts said.

Even representatives from the AI sector have raised their voices against the dangers of AI. Recently, the ‘Godfather of AI’ Dr Geoffrey Hinton, warned about the creation and the impact of artificial intelligence on society at large in May after quitting Google. According to Dr Hinton, companies are developing products based on generative AI but are not fully considering the risks it poses. He stressed that this technology would fill the internet with false photos, videos and texts, and normal people may be unable to comprehend which one is real or fake.

On May 16, the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, which created ChatGPT, testified before the US Congress. According to Altman, regulation of artificial intelligence’s “increasingly powerful models” is “critical” to reducing the threats the technology presents. He also mentioned how AI could be used to tamper with the elections is a “significant area of concern”.

Even the billionaire investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, has also shared his thoughts about the rise of AI and compared it with an “atomic bomb”.