UN secretary-general backs idea of ​​global AI oversight agency like nuclear agency

UN: UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday (June 12) backed a proposal by some artificial intelligence officials to establish an international AI oversight body like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Since ChatGPT launched six months ago, it has become the fastest-growing app of all time, captivating the masses with its generative AI technology that can spin authoritative prose from text prompts. AI is also a focus of concern over its ability to create deepfake images and other misinformation.

“The alarm bells for modern artificial intelligence, or generative AI, are deafening, and the loudest alarm bells come from the developers who designed them,” Guterres told reporters. “We must take these warnings seriously.”

He plans to begin by the end of the year the launch of a high-level AI advisory board that will periodically review AI governance arrangements and make recommendations on how they can be reconciled with human rights, the rule of law and the common good. Announced.

But on Monday, he added, “I agree with the idea that an artificial intelligence agency could be set up inspired by today’s nuclear international organizations.”

Mr Guterres said such a model could be “very interesting” but “only Member States can create it, not the United Nations Secretariat”. The Vienna-based IAEA he founded in 1957 promotes the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear technology while monitoring possible violations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It has 176 member countries.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, said last month that agencies like the IAEA could impose restrictions on deployments, scrutinize compliance with safety standards, and track computing power usage.

British Prime Minister Rishi Snack also supports the idea, saying he wants the UK to become the home of global AI safety regulation. The UK will host a summit later this year on how concerted international action can address AI risks.

Mr Guterres said he supported plans for a summit in Britain, but said “serious work” should be done before doing so. He said he plans to appoint a scientific advisory panel of AI experts and chief scientists from UN agencies in the coming days.