Microsoft, LG, Lenovo, and five other global tech companies have officially committed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) AI ethics recommendation during the 2nd UNESCO Global Forum on AI in Kranj, Slovenia. This reportedly marks the first time these tech firms have worked with the United Nations (UN) in this capacity.
The tech giants will be required to safeguard human rights in all stages of AI development, design, acquisition, sale, and usage under the terms of a new agreement signed by the tech corporations GSMA, INNIT, Lenovo Group, LG AI Research, Mastercard, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Telefonica.
Additionally, the multi-faceted agreement stipulates that in compliance with national laws, due diligence must be done to ensure safety requirements are met, to identify the negative consequences of AI, and to take prompt action to prevent, minimize, or repair them. The agreement also states that evaluating new AI systems before they are put on the market is crucial.
The quick development of AI systems that are currently on the market also makes it necessary to build post-deployment risk assessments and mitigation plans.
In addition to upholding human rights, UNESCO's AI ethics guidelines recognize, protect, and promote the health of ecosystems and the environment at every stage of the life cycle of AI systems.
In the recommendations, transparency is also given top priority. These include open and accessible education, civic engagement, training in digital skills and AI ethics, media and information literacy, and training that the private sector collaborates with other stakeholders to conduct in order to increase public awareness of AI technologies and the importance of data.
UNESCO's Global Forum on AI
The agreement came during the first day of the 2nd UNESCO Global Forum on AI that is stated to run from February 5 to 6, 2024. The second day will reportedly see leading experts in the field discussing the opportunities and challenges presented by AI.
The Forum is also expected to mark the introduction of several UNESCO projects, such as the UNESCO AI Ethics Experts without Borders Network and the Global AI Ethics Observatory.
UNESCO's AI Advancements
The signed agreement is reportedly critical for AI's development for the common good claimed by UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay and that getting the same firm commitment from multinational tech businesses today represents another significant step forward.
This development proves to be in line with UNESCO consistent promotion of private sector participation, which has resulted in the formation of the Business Council for Ethics of AI, which is co-chaired by Telefonica and Microsoft.
The Business Council is dedicated to developing the Ethical Impact Assessment tool required by the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, enhancing technical capacities in ethics and AI, and supporting the creation of wise regional policies.
