‘The science is here’: UN chief welcomes first global AI assessment
Key takeaways The report outlines findings across seven key domains: AI science, advances and trajectories Societal applications in science, health, education and agriculture Economic implications
Key takeaways The report outlines findings across seven key domains: AI science, advances and trajectories Societal applications in science, health, education and agriculture Economic implications Security, systems and environmental implications Human rights, information and democracy Cultural benefits, autonomy and child safety Management, governance and reliability “The science is here,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the report launch. “We can no longer say we did not know. What we do with it is now up to all of us.” The more AI advances without shared rules, the less say governments and people will have in the outcome, the UN chief said, adding “my message to governments is simple: do not wait.” Aiming to build a shared understanding and evidence at this critical juncture, the Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI: Evidence-based assessment of opportunities, risks and impacts of AI was penned by the first global, fully independent scientific body dedicated to assessing its real impacts across economies and societies. Read the full report here. Why it matters Globally, over one billion people now use conversational AI weekly, while governments are making consequential decisions in the face of great uncertainty with rapidly changing, often conflicting sources of evidence and perspectives that do not necessarily reflect local realities. “Used well, AI could be the most powerful engine for development, speeding the world’s progress on everything from health and hunger to learning and climate,” the UN chief said, “but the panel is just as clear-eyed about the harm artificial intelligence can cause.” Indeed, as the capabilities of AI continue to grow, so do the stakes – the core challenge the panel aims to address.
Read our AI explainer here. Better world or catastrophic harm? Composed of 40 leading scientists and experts from every region, the panel outlines AI trends and warns that current safeguards cannot keep pace, said its co-chair Yoshua Bengio. “AI capabilities are outpacing both scientific understanding and governments’ ability to adapt,” Mr. Bengio said. “With growing evidence of deceptive AI behaviour, science currently cannot guarantee that as capabilities continue to increase, AI will not cause catastrophic harm, either on its own or due to malicious users.” To act effectively, he said, global policymakers must understand these systems, and the panel provides exactly that: a rigorous, shared scientific foundation “to guide our collective way forward”. Tweet URL Key findings Detecting breast cancer earlier, accelerating vaccine development and improving healthcare services are just a few ground-breaking AI accomplishments, but limitations and challenges remain, among them AI adoption has accelerated broadly, but unevenly across countries and sectors Access and usage vary widely, with adoption across the global south lagging far behind the global north Significant differences in compute infrastructure and models exist between advanced economies, reflecting existing inequalities Moreover, development is highly concentrated, with recent estimates finding that the United States accounts for 75 per cent of the computing power among the world’s top 500 AI supercomputers, with China accounting for 15 per cent, and that both countries’ companies develop almost all leading general-purpose models. Understanding risks Understanding and managing AI risks is essential, the report stated, with panel co-chair Maria Ressa adding that risks to societies, security and the human species are already “too high”.
The BriefWire