The G7 ministers responsible for Digitization and Technology agreed today to promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence given the advance of these systems and its potential use to undermine democratic frameworks and violate people’s privacy.
“As generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies become increasingly prominent across countries and sectors, we recognize the need to take stock of the near-term opportunities and challenges of these technologies and continue to advance the security and trust in them. said the ministers of the group of the seven most industrialized countries in the world (G7) in a joint statement after a two-day meeting in Japan.
The declaration cites five fundamental principles to regulate the use of AI and other emerging technologies: rule of law, legal guarantees, democracy and respect for human rights, and taking advantage of opportunities to promote innovation.
During the meeting in Takasaki, a city located about 107 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, the ministers also decided to approve a plan to “create open environments conducive to responsible innovation through AI.”
The plan calls on countries to actively participate in the development of international standards on AI regulation and promote dialogue on issues such as risk assessment.
Those responsible for Digitalization and Technology of the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the European Union (EU) have also committed to promoting the construction of more secure network infrastructures for emerging or developing countries. development and improvement of connectivity by submarine cable.
At the same time, they approved plans to reinforce digital infrastructures against their authoritarian uses, which may imply, for example, the closure or restrictions of Internet access, and to prevent the direct violation of human rights, through the use of digital tools. , such as the production and distribution of false or manipulated news and other disinformation activities used, such as in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We decided to cooperate to make visible and address the tactics of digital authoritarianism,” they underlined in the statement, ensuring that the G7 remains committed to protecting its “democratic institutions and values from external threats.”
In addition to Russia, the message is directed at countries such as China, where digital surveillance and other high-tech tools are believed to be used to suppress freedom of expression and violate other fundamental rights and freedoms, reports the Efe agency.
The meeting was attended by ministers from Ukraine as well as from India and Indonesia, which this year are hosting the G20 and ASEAN meetings respectively.
Source: TSF
