MONTREAL, March 20, 2023 (Archyde.com) /PRNewswire/ – Mila – Québec’s Artificial Intelligence Institute and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Communications Organization (UNESCO) today launched a joint book at Mila on the urgent need for better regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the face of unprecedented technological change.
The book “Missing Links in AI Governance” contains 18 articles on AI governance. They were written by academics, civil society representatives, innovators and policymakers at a time when technological revolutions offer new scientific, economic and social opportunities while raising ethical questions and regulatory challenges.
The book sheds light on topics such as the impact of AI on indigenous and LGBTI communities, the need for southern countries to be involved in global governance, or the use of AI to support innovation for socially beneficial purposes. It outlines possible solutions to foster AI development that is ethical, inclusive and respectful of human rights.
The authors also warn once morest using AI in potentially harmful contexts such as autonomous weapons or the manipulation of digital content for social destabilization. They lament the increasing centralization of decision-making power in the development of AI systems, inherent biases and the lack of transparency and accountability in the industry.
The book can be downloaded here.
To celebrate the book’s release, a conversation took place today at Mila’s Agora between two leaders in the field of AI who contributed to the book: Yoshua Bengio, Professor at the University of Montreal, Founder and Scientific Director of Mila, Scientific Director by IVADO and Canada CIFAR AI Chair, and Kate Crawford, research professor at the University of Southern California Annenberg, senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research, and leading expert on the social, political, and environmental impacts of artificial intelligence.
They discussed the great potential of AI to accelerate scientific discovery, particularly in healthcare and environmental sciences. They also addressed the opportunities presented by recent technological revolutions, the pitfalls and biases of current AI systems, and the need for ethical and regulatory oversight of the field to ensure the technology serves all of humanity.
This conversation regarding the present and future of AI was preceded by speeches by representatives from UNESCO and the government of Quebec. A recording is available on Mila’s YouTube channel.
This initiative was funded in part by the Ministère des Relations Internationales et de la Francophonie du Québec and the Fonds de recherche du Québec.
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“We are very proud to present this book at a pivotal time in AI development. The choices we make as a society over the next few years will have a significant impact on the future of humanity. We hope these pages will provide food for thought and guidance in making decisions to ensure more ethical, responsible and inclusive technological development.” – Valerie Pisano, President and CEO, Mila
“There are many voices in this book. They are partly optimistic and partly critical, but offer all relevant insights into the present and future of AI. The book provides guidance on how to think regarding the role that AI should play in our lives and in the world. At the same time, it emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks to better shape the evolution of technology, seize the opportunities it presents and reduce the risks it presents.” – Benjamin Prud’homme, Associate Editor and Executive Director, AI for Humanity , Mila
“Identifying the gaps in AI governance is essential not only for the responsible development of AI, but also for the protection and promotion of human rights in the digital age.” – Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Deputy Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO .
“We are proud to financially support this international work co-led by UNESCO and Mila, the flagship of Québec’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. By helping to raise awareness of Québec’s expertise in this field among UNESCO and its 193 member states, the Quebec government is recognizing the highly strategic nature of AI for Québec’s economy and international influence.” – Michel Bonsaint , Government Representative of Quebec at the Permanent Mission of Canada to UNESCO
For more information regarding Mila, visit mila.quebec.
For more information regarding UNESCO, visit unesco.org.
Eric Aach, aach@national.ca, 514-569-3594
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