Guterres launches panel on AI
Headed by ex-Indian diplomat
image for illustrative purpose
United Nations UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has created a high-level advisory panel headed by a former Indian diplomat to meet the challenges of a world hurtling into the unknowns of artificial intelligence (AI).
“I have called for a global, multidisciplinary, multistakeholder conversation on the governance of AI so that its benefits to humanity – all of humanity – are maximised, and the risks contained are diminished and the panel is the starting point," he said on Thursday.
Amandeep Singh, the Secretary-General’s envoy on technology and an under-secretary-general, will lead the panel.
As a member of the Indian Foreign Service, Gill was the permanent representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Giving an example of “the incredible possibilities – and the potential dangers – of AI”, Guterres said that an AI app gave him “the surreal experience of watching myself deliver a speech in flawless Chinese, despite the fact that I do not speak Chinese and the lips movement corresponded exactly to what I was saying”.
“Without entering into a host of doomsday scenarios, it is already clear that the malicious use of AI could undermine trust in institutions, weaken social cohesion, and threaten democracy itself," he said.
At the same time, “in our challenging times, AI could power extraordinary progress for humanity”, the UN chief noted.
