Artificial intelligence can help developing countries and access should be facilitated, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres defended Thursday at a summit on AI near London.
According to the Portuguese, AI has the potential to help developing countries whose economies have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and which has led to an accumulation of debt.
“It can help governments set budgets, help businesses expand and help climate scientists predict droughts and storms. It can help ordinary people access essential healthcare and education. It can be a huge accelerator and facilitator of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals”he proposed.
To achieve this, however, Guterres argued that all countries and communities must have access to AI and the necessary digital and data infrastructures.
“Currently, AI technologies are limited to a few countries and companies. That is why we need a systematic effort to change this situation,” he stressed.
At stake is the worsening of inequality between rich and poor countries.
“This is not a risk, it is a reality. A recent report concluded that no African country is among the top 50 in AI readiness. Twenty-one of the 25 countries with the lowest scores were African,” he claimed.
The UN Secretary General was speaking on the second and final day of the International Summit on Artificial Intelligence Security, hosted by the British government in Bletchley Park, north of London.
In his speech, Guterres spoke about the accelerated pace of AI development, which requires urgent, coordinated governance at the international level to reduce risks and negative impacts.
In this sense, he highlighted the role of the High-Level Multi-Sector Advisory Body on AI that was launched last week and is expected to issue recommendations by the end of the year.
These recommendations will be integrated into the Global Digital Compact that will be presented to heads of state for approval at the Future Summit in September 2024.
“We need a united, sustainable and global strategy based on multilateralism and the participation of all interested parties. The United Nations is ready to play its role,” he concluded.
Source: DN
