The United Nations and the Dutch government have unveiled plans to establish a framework for the ethical oversight of artificial intelligence (AI). The project, titled “Supervising AI by Competent Authorities,” is a collaboration between the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure and UNESCO (the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Its goal is to gather data on how European countries supervise AI and develop a list of “best practice” recommendations.
The project is financially supported by the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI). In addition to providing best practices, the collected information will be used to create future training sessions aimed at enhancing “institutional capacity” in the field of AI ethics.
According to Gabriela Ramos, the assistant director-general for social and human science of UNESCO, the discussion about AI ethics is not merely a technological one but a societal one. She emphasized the importance of shaping AI’s technological development within effective governance frameworks that reflect ethical and moral values.
UN and Dutch Government Join Forces to Shape Ethical AI Regulation in Europe
UNESCO has already played a significant role in developing ethical guidelines for AI, which were adopted by all of its member states in November 2021. This recent initiative builds upon those guidelines.
This development comes after the European Union (EU) passed the AI Act in parliament in June 2022, which introduced comprehensive rules for AI development within the EU. The EU’s AI Act was proposed by the European Commission and received overwhelming support in parliament. Member states are now engaged in negotiations with the parliament to work out the details.
In addition to the AI Act, the EU has launched an initiative to support AI startups in the region, providing them with fast-track access to supercomputers.
Individual European countries have also been working on AI regulation and development strategies. Spain announced plans for a local AI regulation agency and a national strategy to ensure inclusive, sustainable, and citizen-centered AI development. Meanwhile, in Germany, there are varying opinions among politicians and digital experts regarding the best approach to managing and implementing AI technology.