Rethinking AI's Future: A Global Governance Imperative

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the world, generating immense potential for good by opening new areas of science, accelerating economic growth, and improving public health, agriculture, and energy grids. However, without global governance, AI's benefits could be limited to a select few, while more powerful systems could upend the world of work, create autonomous weapons, and threaten peace and security. The UN's advisory body on AI, comprising 39 experts from 33 countries, has issued a report urging the United Nations to lay the foundations for the first inclusive global institutions to regulate AI. The report outlines principles guiding the formation of new institutions, including international law and human rights law, and recommends international cooperation to protect human rights.The report emphasizes the need for a global understanding of AI's capabilities and risks, calling for the establishment of an international scientific panel on AI. It also suggests a global dialogue on AI governance at the UN, anchored on human rights principles and international law. Additionally, the report recommends a global AI fund to bridge the divide between rich and poor nations and promote achievement of UN development goals for 2030, as well as a "Standards Exchange" to foster technical compatibility. The report warns that only seven countries are party to recent AI governance initiatives, while 118 countries, primarily in the global South, are missing entirely from the conversation. It highlights the European Union's AI framework, the Group of 20's guidelines for AI development, and California's legislation to regulate AI as positive steps towards global governance. The report concludes on a cautious note, emphasizing the need for realism about AI's risks and the inadequacy of current structures and incentives. It stresses that the technology is too important and the stakes are too high to rely solely on market forces and a fragmented patchwork of national and multilateral action.