AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn

Participants chat in front of an electronic image of a soldier before the closing session of the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) summit in Seoul on Sept. 10, 2024.

The development of artificial intelligence should not be guided by market forces alone, U.N. experts cautioned on Thursday, calling for the creation of tools for global cooperation.

But they held back from suggesting the creation of a muscular worldwide governing body to oversee the rollout and evolution of a technology, the proliferation of which has raised fears around biases, misuse and dependence.

The panel of around 40 experts from the fields of technology, law and data protection was established by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October.

Their report, published days before the start of a high-profile "Summit of the Future," raises the alarm over the lack of global governance of AI as well as the effective exclusion of developing countries from debates about the technology's future.

Of the U.N.'s 193 members, just seven are part of the seven major initiatives linked to AI, while 118 are entirely absent — mostly nations of the global south.

"There is, today, a global governance deficit with respect to AI," which by its nature is cross-border, the experts warn in their report.

"AI must serve humanity equitably and safely," Guterres said this week.

"Left unchecked, the dangers posed by artificial intelligence could have serious implications for democracy, peace, and stability."

  'Too late'? 

To the backdrop of his clarion call, the experts called on U.N. members to put in place mechanisms to grease the wheels of global cooperation on the issue, as well as to prevent unintended...