UN General Assembly to address AI's potential risks, rewards

The U.N. General Assembly will turn its attention to artificial intelligence on Thursday, weighing a resolution that lays out the potentially transformational technology's pros and cons while calling for the establishment of international standards.

The text, co-sponsored by dozens of countries, emphasizes the necessity of guidelines "to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems," while excluding military AI from its purview.

On the whole, the resolution focuses more on the technology's positive potential, and calls for special care "to bridge the artificial intelligence and other digital divides between and within countries."

The draft resolution, which is the first on the issue, was brought forth by the United States and will be submitted for approval by the assembly on Thursday.

It also seeks "to promote, not hinder, digital transformation and equitable access" to AI in order to achieve the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to ensure a better future for humanity by 2030.

"As AI technologies rapidly develop, there is urgent need and unique opportunities for member states to meet this critical moment with collective action," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, reading a joint statement by the dozens of co-sponsor countries.

According to Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, "the emphasis on development is a deliberate effort by the U.S. to win goodwill among poorer nations."

"It is easier to talk about how AI can help developing countries progress rather than tackle security and safety topics head-on as a first initiative," he said.

 'Male-dominated algorithms' 

The draft text does highlight the...