UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : Media stakeout - Global Dialogue on AI Governance

[Other language spoken]

Welcome to this press take out on the Global Dialogue on AI governance.

I am going to give you just a few information about the rundown.

We will hear from the President of the General Assembly and Elena Baerbuck first and then from the 2 coach heads of the Global Dialogue, Agrizalda Lopez and Rein Tamsar.

They will give you a few introductory remarks and then we will take a few questions on the dialogue.

[Other language spoken]

So I'll start by giving the floor to the President of the General Assembly, Mrs Berbuck.

Good morning, good afternoon from my side to those of you haven't been in the opening tomorrow.

First of all, thank you so much to the Co chairs of this global dialogue.

This is the work for almost a year and behind the scenes as always more important than what you afterwards on stage, but you 2 make it possible.

[Other language spoken]

As we underlined all together this morning, artificial intelligence is reshaping how we live, how we work and how we engage as human with one another.

And as a Co chair of the scientific panel underlined, intelligence always comes with power.

Therefore, something with such power as artificial intelligence, with such profound implications for our economies, our social systems, our defence and therefore our peace and security, but especially in our homes, even in our children's bedroom, can only be meaningful and safely if managed together.

And the good thing the UN, the United Nations, was built for moments like this.

Even if the founders of the United Nations knew nothing about AI, they didn't even have a computer back then.

80 years ago, they recognised when drafting the UN Charter in San Francisco that global challenges with economic, social and humanitarian character can only be solved together.

That something with such power as AI needs global platforms.

In order to prevent that, our social media platforms of our children are turned into battlefields and inclusive AI governance is overdue.

And as the Independent Scientific Panel on AI concluded in its primary report, which we are discussing also here at the Global Dialogue, concrete next steps to close this gap exist, but each requires sustained investments in member state capacity to shape, evaluate and deploy AI.

And given the complexity of this technological revolution and it's rapid pace, no country, no government, no company can nor should do that alone.

We need governments, we need technology leaders, we need academia, we need civil society and international organisations working together to shape our digital future together.

Therefore, this global dialogue is about giving us that same San Francisco moment, as the Co chair said this morning, of bringing everyone together to address a shared global challenge in the interest of all, leaving no one behind.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, President of the General Assembly, Her Excellency and Elena Berbuk.

I give now the floor to Her Excellency Griselda Lopez from El Salvador, Co chair of the Global Dialogue.

Thank you, Good afternoon and thank you.

Thank you so much for being here.

Madam President, thank you so much for your support.

You appointed us, You gave us a task, a mandate that we have to fulfil, that the members of the General Assembly decided in not only establishing the global dialogue, but also the panel, as we saw.

And we're very happy to be here to see these two important milestone be a reality.

So thank you so much and well, for El Salvador, as I mentioned at the beginning of the programme, it has been truly an honour to serve as Co Chair together with Estonia.

It has been quite a journey.

It's not easy to organise something for the first time, but it has been something at the same time really fascinating to be able to engage with a variety of stakeholders, as we saw here today, and also with many member states that were eager to finally have a say in artificial intelligence governance.

And this is precisely what we saw today, that an inclusive and universal platform as the United Nations can make a difference.

And it matters.

It matters, I will say more than ever with that San Francisco spirit that you say, but it's not only member states.

Just before we left, we were listening also to a variety of stakeholders that were also wanted to take the floor.

And we are definitely so much encouraged by their enthusiasm and their support and that combination of Member states, the scientific panel, private companies, academia, private sector and so on.

This combination.

It's really important.

We already have the scientific evidence as we saw today from the scientific panel.

And also it's really encouraging that this is just the first global dialogue and we will see in New York the second iteration of this global dialogue.

So rest assured that the work will continue.

And I really hope and I'm pretty sure that it will be with the same universal approach and inclusive spirit as we have worked so far.

Thank you once again and continue supporting the global dialogue and continue supporting the UN in AI governance.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mrs Lopez.

Now I give the floor to His Excellency Ren Tamsar from Estonia, the other Co chair of the dialogue.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

Thank you for being with us here.

[Other language spoken]

Many, Many thanks for all the trust that you've put on us with my dear Co chair Ambassador Lopez.

It is a difficult moment for me because today it's my daughter who is turning 7 years old and she asked me, Papa, why you're not here with me and I said sorry, I have something important.

So if this thing would not be important for me, I would not be here.

Maybe this is evidence, but we worked hard for 248 days to make this dialogue happen.

So let me briefly say a few points.

So first is on inclusivity and multi stakeholder participation because I think that this is the essence of this dialogue.

So more than 4000 participants, more than 1500 written submissions, 24 side events, many, many stakeholders from around the world, so 1800 entities.

So this is what we call inclusive, inclusive dialogue.

And we're really for us it was so important from very beginning because we convene this dialogue, this universal platform with convening power of a United Nations.

So that's the difference of this dialogue to all the other dialogues that we have.

We want this to be inclusive so that every perspective, every voice is captured here.

And of course, we'll have to write a summary about this report later on.

So we really appreciate all participants coming here.

And I met one of them.

He said, I just arrived from New Zealand.

I said, wow, we thought that, you know, coming from New York is difficult, but from New Zealand, OK, So every region, every level of development is represented here.

And maybe it would be even better when the next dialogue will take place in New York in 2027, because we are setting the scene, so to say, for the next discussions.

We can do everything in two days because this was prescribed to us.

Yeah, but we really tried hard so that this dialogue would be inclusive.

Secondly, maybe on risks versus opportunities, because this has been a huge issue for us from very beginning when we started to meet with stakeholders, member States and and so on and so forth.

So I mean the risks are very real.

And we heard also from the representatives of a scientific panel that it's a dangerous business.

[Other language spoken]

But at the same time, you know, I come from the country that has built digital society, experimented and tried to extract maximum from this.

And we're doing the same when it comes to AI.

So I think that the best way to manage, you know, the risks is, is to do it, but also not to stop the innovation.

We have to do it both at the same time somehow.

And our kids, by the way, are doing, my older daughter, she's 14, she's 17, and she's sitting with her agent and doing her homework and everything.

I'm a little bit frightened, but I see that she really likes her because this helps her to manage her time.

So it's already there.

We cannot stop this.

We can, we can manage this.

And this is what we're trying to do here.

And my final point is on human rights because this is a foundation for for all of it in our consultations around the world, I think that there was a very strong message that AI will only deliver on its promise if it respects international law and human rights.

And this is not a break for innovation.

It is what makes people trust the technology.

People need to know that AI serves them and not the our way around.

So and it respects their dignity, privacy and freedoms.

I think this is really important.

And this was the message that we heard also from that.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, Ambassador Tamsa.

Let now let us now open the floor to questions.

[Other language spoken]

Maybe I'll start with the host countries news agency ATS.

Lohan, can you please introduce yourself but also say to whom you're asking?

[Other language spoken]

Swiss news agency.

First, happy birthday to your daughter.

And then the question to President Baerbach, if I may.

So in his speech this morning, the SG said that he was about to share his recommendation for global fund on AI with the GA.

So when should we expect which horizon should we expect that fund to be operational maybe by the next dialogue in 2027 And what would be the amount targeted and the scope of of the fund?

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much for the question.

And as the Secretary General underlined, this is not the moment to watch, this is the moment to act.

And as I said, the United Nations was built for cross regional transnational challenges.

And this is one of the biggest challenges we probably have faced in the last decades, knowing that we can only govern this together.

And we have faced many other challenges.

We'd always needed the cooperation between the private sector and governments.

But in this dimension, this has been unseen.

And therefore, yes, we need different parts, we need a governance structure, especially chatting with our children.

So he was also mentioning the regulations with regard to protection of children.

This is one part for the United Nations actions and the other part is ensuring that we are not opening a new digital divide.

So technology transfer not only between countries but also with regard to enabling the United Nations itself to use this technology.

We are having debates to govern it around.

So the issue about a fund for technology and also the use of it is something we have discussed within UNAD reform as well and within the whole UNAD reform process.

Until the end of this session, which is beginning of September, we will take the next UNAD reform steps.

The fund is part of this bigger process, but obviously the fund won't be set up until September.

So it moves in the 81st session of the United Nations.

So I hand over to my predecessor, the Secretary General will hand over underlining again that we are all A-Team at the United Nations.

So yes, there will be the next Global Dialogue in almost a year's time.

And with this these months to the upcoming next global Dialogue.

Also the fund will be set up.

But as we are starting it at the moment, I cannot speak about numbers, but it's crystal clear also another field that in a world with billions and trillions, money is hardly the challenge.

The main challenge is that it's spent in the benefit of all and enabling to bridge the divide and not deepen the digital divide we are facing currently.

Thank you very much on this side, CCTV.

Thank you, Alexander and I'm the correspondent of the China Media Group CCTV and thank you for taking my question.

My question is that why did the UN choose to convert the global dialogue on the AI governance at this moment?

And do you think the AI development of the AI is outpacing the global governance or the rule making or something like this?

[Other language spoken]

Who would like the President or the Co chair?

The Co chairs will take that out.

[Other language spoken]

Well, first, the Secretary General also mentioned that in the PGA in their statements earlier this morning, this is not happening out of the blue.

It's actually the response of years of deliberation of member states that began precisely with the Global Digital Compact.

That AI was set precisely as one area that the UN should put attention to it.

And then last year, and this is full, full recognition to Spain and Costa Rica.

They were the Co chairs for the resolution that established both the scientific panel and this global dialogue.

And as mandated in that occasion, we're happy.

We're already celebrating the first iteration of this global dialogue here back-to-back, as you already know, with different activities organised by ITU like AI for Good and also the Wiesis.

And next year in New York, we're going to have the second dialogue.

What is going to happen in between?

That depends on the next two Co chairs that they're going to continue steering the conversation between this first dialogue and the second.

What we hope and my Co chair was mentioning is to set really strong foundations on the conversation on AI within the UN Co chair.

Would you like to take the other part of her?

[Other language spoken]

Thank you for your question.

I mean, it is true that the AI development is happening quicker than anyone can react to this.

And, and we see around the world frankly, and also we heard this from the representatives of a scientific panel today.

So the question really is, should we let it go then or we do something?

And I think we've been trusted with doing something meaningful.

And, and, and because my dear coach here explained how we came to the dialogue and we came to the establishment of also scientific panel.

So I think that the next dialogue will happen in New York.

The scientific panel is entrusted to do their work for three years.

So I guess that we will produce many other interesting and useful reports and so on.

So we were able here to start something meaningful discussion on a global level, create a platform and to address few issues.

There are 7 prescribed topics in a modalities resolution, but we compressed into 4 clusters and there will be 4 thematic discussions during these two days.

This is one thing, but secondly, the global landscape is really fragmented and there are pockets of knowledge here and there on the regional level, in countries and so on.

So our goal, so to say, is to be maybe able to reduce this fragmentation and at the same time try to build interoperability between different elements, whatever.

And for this, the timing is actually perfect, I would say.

And I think that also the ITU Secretary General said that, you know, it took decades to deal with intranet, but with a Gentic AI, we are kind of, you know, lagging behind for years only.

But but I think so we have to.

The main point is that we have to start with dialogue somewhere.

And today we did it.

And this is, of course, indeed coming from GDC and our established resolutions of a General Assembly.

[Other language spoken]

So just I wanted to be sure, is there anything concrete that you're expecting at the end of this?

Will there be a joint statement or anything?

And also when it comes to the child safety pledge that was mentioned, is that ready to be endorsed yet?

Where, where do you see that going?

And finally, just one last thing more generally, I'd ask you, what do you think is the most frightening thing?

I guess because you've been painting, I guess some frightening pictures.

Also, what AI is capable of?

What is it that keeps you up at night?

And how confident are you that you're actually that this, this UN driven process will actually be able to harness, harness this?

[Other language spoken]

I guess that Concrete Outcomes Micro Chair was already mentioning the Co Chair summary.

So he also mentioned about the written submissions that we received from a variety not only from Member State but stakeholders.

That conversations that we have hearing throughout the process, plus today and tomorrow will be part of what we're going to compress in a culture summary.

Going back to the modalities resolution, it has already been established that this, together with the report of the scientific panel, will serve as the foundations for the conversation that member states will have for the second dialogue in 2027 and also the basis for common understandings on AI governance that will be decided by member states next year.

But not only that, as part also of the process, we have established the AI Partnership Hub.

This is a voluntary platform that Member States and different stakeholders have submitted initiatives that are already happening so we can encourage more interoperability, but also further cooperation, and this is something that we really hope to see.

Throughout our consultations, we were listening from many stakeholders, but also Member States.

We want this to be more than simple speeches, We want something concrete.

So as I said, we're setting the foundations, but we also wanted to provide something practical that can encourage their cooperation, conversation and also more action oriented results.

And that's why the AI Hub platform is one of those PGA.

[Other language spoken]

What keeps me, I think all of us, awake at night is that we are not quick enough to protect our children.

And I think this is really the dimension where especially those who are providing these platforms, who are feeding the algorithms, who are designing this new world, have to not only see their role, but their responsibility.

Because in the end, this will come back to all our own homes and all our own children's bedrooms and the examples we have heard this morning also on stage.

This is happening right now.

And we have laws all over the world to protect the dignity of human beings.

And the core foundation is the Charter of United Nations with all its three principles on peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

And we have heard that very often in the United Nations with the argument of being neutral.

And we hear it here also very often as well about disinformation that how can you take a side?

But I think the important thing is to always remember that inaction also means taking a side.

So if there's a spread of misinformation used as warfare.

And I was quoting this morning a teenager from Rwanda, a country which have experienced genocide.

And if a teenager is warning these days in a commemorative meeting about prevention of genocide, how these social media platform can be misused for prepare other genocides in the future.

This is the responsibility of not hiding behind so-called neutrality, but putting safeguards in the social media world of preventing genocide as well.

And again, this is not about taking a side.

This is if everybody has signed a genocide convention, implementing A genocide convention in the social fear.

This is about implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the social sphere as well.

If we see that most of the attacks with sexual deepfakes are targeting women and girls and there we can also see the power of societies and the power of markets.

We have seen for example, in India that their answer to one of these, ABS Rock, which made possible that you have a photo of women, of girls and they are being undressed in the Internet.

If a member states, if a country, if a society says we are not allowing this against our human rights, our women's and girls rights.

Otherwise this app cannot function in our markets.

Obviously within a very short time this feature was disabled and this underlines again that we don't have to wait until the next global dialogue in one year's time.

We don't have to wait to set up a global governance structure that all 193 member states agree in common.

We have seen over the decades of the United Nations that it always needed a cross regional alliance to push things forward.

We have seen that in the climate fields, we have also seen it in the international human rights field that if member states move forward together they can frame and shape our future and the benefits of all.

And this is also what this global dialogue is about.

The Co Chair was underlining the steps which the General Assembly is taking together.

But this doesn't hinder companies and governments either together or by themselves to move forward as frontrunners.

And we have seen different member states all around the which are interest using now already AI governance structures and therefore also the learning from each other, being Better Together by joining forces.

This is one of the key parts of these days here in Geneva.

And therefore the summit, the global dialogue itself is already a big step forward in making the future for children all together safer.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

As I said, I'm father of two beautiful daughters and of course I care about the future.

And.

And so the one thing that keeps me awake at night, of course, is how we are going to protect our children from bias, from intimidation, from sexual abuse that we see these days being conducted using AI.

But I also wear another hat because for this year, I'm president of executive board of UNICEF organisation that was brought to life 80 years ago exactly to do this, to protect children.

And I think for this 80 years, we've done a great job, but now we have to together somehow to design another I, you know, element of this work, which is linked to exactly to AI.

And so we've tried to provide as much as possible support to UNICEF, you know, to build structures that are necessary to do it.

And of course, member states are very, very valuable.

There are there are different coalitions over willing.

We've seen it in the past.

[Other language spoken]

You mentioned one example, I think that protection of children is something where we can put aside maybe our ideological and political, you know, differences and really to be united in delivering to protect our children.

So I think that this is a great initiative and of course I hope that it will build also will bring tangible results.

The second element let me just mention is that, you know, when we first met with Secretary General, he mentioned that on certain point not so long time ago there were more than 100 countries that had no involvement whatsoever in AI affairs.

So it's a huge number and I guess that this is something that really motivated us as a courtiers with this dialogue to bring as many countries and stakeholders together, civil society, academia, think tanks, industry and to conduct this first dialogue.

And today we heard that there are 170 countries represented here.

And just to remind that there is a 193 countries in the United Nations organisation.

So we are not yet there, but I think it's much more than it was few years ago when the Global Digital Compact was established.

So we are moving forward, we are inclusive, trying to bring these different perspectives and voices here, but it will require much more.

And that's why I hope that with a second dialogue in 27 with a review of a global digital compact.

So we will be able actually to really to bring also these remaining countries and to have a meaningful discussion, all of us together.

Because this, I mean, AI impacts everyone, whether you like it or not, whether you are present or not.

So we have to do something with this.

And I think the dialogue is the best thing that would happen.

And indeed, thank you very much for quoting me.

I hope that this would be a San Francisco moment for AI and we will proceed 10/10/10 years later as a defining moment when we started this discussion.

Thank you, thank you very much.

It will be the dialogue of Geneva.

With that, I'm afraid we have to close.

Thanks for being here, and please enjoy the rest of the dialogue in Bon Appetit.