Photo: Collected
The Trump administration is going to organise a high-level event on artificial intelligence (AI) during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next week. It is thought that the AI issue will get considerable importance at this gathering of world leaders.
The United States is holding the event, to which several countries have been invited, just when questions related to security and artificial intelligence have become newly urgent. On the other hand, President Donald Trump has strongly opposed the idea of imposing government restrictions on AI. He claims the concerns being voiced about this technology are merely a ‘hoax’ or ‘fake’.
A meeting on artificial intelligence and security is due to be held at the UN Security Council to discuss the risks that AI companies and executives are talking about. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Sam Altman, is due to speak at that meeting. The US event will be led by US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers.
A source aware of the event said the United States is presenting it as an opportunity to discuss partnership with it in the AI sector. The issue of freedom of expression is also expected to come up in the discussion through policy, legal and regulatory matters that ease the way for the adoption of AI technology on a wide scale.
Claire Melamed, vice president for AI and digital cooperation at the UN Foundation, said that although there are many AI-centred side events at this global gathering, it is not yet clear how much importance the issue will get on the main formal agenda. In her words, the UN is still mainly at the stage of setting the context and determining its own position. Like many other organisations, the UN too is trying to understand what its real role should be in the case of AI.
Melamed said interest is growing in the UN’s possible role in crisis management. Giving an example, she said, suppose there is a major AI-driven cyber attack, and you work at a hospital in Zambia or a bank in Botswana. When the attack keeps spreading beyond the country’s borders and you do not know what to do, whom will you ask for help? The UN’s name often comes up on this question. Alongside this, discussion is also going on about the UN’s role in ensuring equal access for all to the systems and safeguards related to AI governance and regulation.
However, Melamed does not expect any specific outcome or decision to come from the Security Council’s AI meeting. As the reason, she mentioned the differing positions of the council’s permanent members — let alone the other members of the UN. It may be mentioned that the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom are permanent members of the Security Council.
She thinks most people will be looking to the outcome of the meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next Thursday, because AI is expected to be a major topic of discussion there.
