Event
Policy Dialogue on AI Governance
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For any questions concerning the event, please contact ai-ethics@unesco.org.
Governments are moving decisively from discussions of the risks and benefits of AI to implementing actions to govern it. Defining the right institutional and legal frameworks to ensure this powerful technology contributes to the public good will be vital to this effort.
Convened by UNESCO Assistant-Director General for Social and Human Sciences, Gabriela Ramos, the AI Ethics Experts Without Borders network (AIEB) will develop unique recommendations on AI governance based on the evidence from AI Readiness Assessments carried out in over 50 countries. Day 2 turns the spotlight on innovation, unveiling groundbreaking reports on AI supervision and on AI and democracy. Panel discussions will delve deep into the heart of AI governance, exploring cutting-edge topics like synthetic content and ensuring that ethical AI governance benefits all countries equally. This event will bring to fruition UNESCO’s efforts to implement the 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, including comprehensive diagnostic tools, regional roundtables for peer learning, and experts from around the world.
With generative AI and other advanced AI systems taking center stage, governments around the world are accelerating the development and implementation of policy initiatives aimed to address the risks of these increasingly powerful and ubiquitous systems, including new governance and legal frameworks. Against this backdrop, the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector is hosting a Policy Dialogue on AI Governance to discuss how best to address these pressing issues and the challenges related to the governance of AI systems and to fostering AI that is ethical by design that respect and promote human rights, human dignity, and fundamental freedoms.
The event will kick off with a session presenting the latest implementation outcomes of the UNESCO Recommendation, followed by a launch of a world first report on trends and good practices in the supervision of AI, informing current efforts of policymakers, supervisory authorities and other stakeholders on the operationalization of AI governance. This report is the outcome of a major project between UNESCO and the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure, funded by the European Commission’s DG Reform. A report by renowned philosopher Daniel Innerarity on AI's impact on political life and democracy will also be featured. High-level panels will tackle future challenges posed by AI-generated synthetic content and discuss how international development assistance can promote AI for good. With over 50 speakers from various governments, the U.S. AI Safety Institute, ASEAN, the European Commission, ITU, OpenAI, the European University Institute, the Alan Turing Institute, the Centre for AI and Digital Policy, MILA, and more, this event promises to be a keystone event in advancing global AI governance.
Featured Speakers
- Emilja Stojmenova Duh, Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia
- Eileen Donahoe, Special Envoy and Coordinator for Digital Freedom, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy
- Anne Bouverot, Chair of the Steering Committee of the French AI Summit
- Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the US President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, United States
- Angeline van Dijk, Inspector General, Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure
- Rumman Chowdhury, U.S. Envoy on Science
- Elham Tabassi, Chief Technology Officer, US AI Safety Institute
- Adekemi Omotubora, Lead expert for the RAM in Nigeria, University of Lagos (online)
- Julie Lavet, EU Member States and Partnerships Lead, OpenAI
- Daniel Innerarity, Chair on Artificial Intelligence and Democracy at European University Institute; author of the UNESCO Report on AI and Democracy
- Abdulrahman Habib, Deputy Chief Strategy Officer, Saudi Data and AI Authority
AI Ethics Experts without Borders
The UNESCO AI Ethics Experts without Borders (AIEB) platform brings together a diverse and multidisciplinary network of high-level experts who are familiar with and have contributed to develop and deploy the knowledge products and tools related to the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
With the possibility to intervene on a case-by-case basis, and upon request by countries, AIEB members will help develop and build relevant AI governance frameworks, leveraging the results of the RAM and EIA exercises.
High-Level Public Segment Programme
28 June 2024
9.00 to 10.15: From ethical principles to action: Leveraging UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI
Welcome: Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO (TBC)
Setting the Scene and Moderator: Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
Keynote: Anne Bouverot, Présidente du Conseil d'Administration, Ecole Normale Supérieure, and Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic to the AI Action Summit
Speakers:
- Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD (TBC)
- Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia
- Deepak Balgobin, Minister of IT, Communication and Innovation, Mauritius
- Anne Bouverot, Présidente du Conseil d'Administration, Ecole Normale Supérieure, and Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic to the AI Action Summit
- Romina Victoria Garrido Iglesias, Deputy Director GobLab Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
- Adekemi Omotubora, Lead expert for the RAM in Nigeria, University of Lagos
- Benjamin Prud’homme, Vice-President, MILA
10.30 to 12.30: The Global Landscape of AI Governance: the role of supervising bodies
Regulators globally are working to acquire the necessary capabilities to confront the challenge of regulating AI. As we enter a phase of implementation and thus, operationalization of legal and ethical requirements, supervisory authorities are key players in the landscape of AI global governance. This panel seeks to discuss the global landscape of AI supervision, and the preliminary findings of the project Supervising AI by Competent Authorities from a regulator’s perspective. The panel discussion that follows the presentation of the project and its outputs will focus on the optimization of collaborative efforts to leverage resources and knowledge beyond the EU Member States and explore the growing importance of international networks in facilitating cooperation and capacity building for supervising authorities.
Setting the Scene and Moderator: Huub Janssen, Chair of Dutch and of the European Working Group of Competent Authorities on AI, and AI Manager at the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure
Introduction: DG Reform project and presentation of report
Speaker: Angelica Fernandez, Ethics of AI unit, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO
Panel on Global Supervision Landscape and Q&A
Setting the Scene:
- Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
- Angeline van Dijk, Inspector General, Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure (RDI)
- Nathalie Berger, Director, Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) - European Commission (online)
Panel on Supervision of AI:
- Elham Tabassi, Chief Technology Officer, US AI Safety Institute
- Alexandra Schultz, Advisor, Norway Digitalisation Agency
- Jordi Ascensi Sala, Head of Technology, Andorra Research Innovation (AR+I)
- Paloma Herrera, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Science of Chile
- Lee Wan Sie, Director of Development of Data-Driven Tech, Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
12.30 to 14:00: Lunch
Lunch Break
14.00 to 15:30: AI and Democracy: Exploring the Global Impact through the lens of UNESCO Recommendation
The rapid advancement of digital technologies, data, automation, and artificial intelligence has sparked high expectations and significant concerns, particularly regarding their impact on democracy and political life. This panel will explore how generative AI and related technologies are reshaping democratic dynamics and influencing public discourse. We will launch and discuss UNESCO's policy paper, developed with Daniel Innerarity, which addresses the impact of big data on democracies and the legitimacy of algorithmic decisions and offers recommendations for democratic AI governance.
Moderator: Ted Lechterman, UNESCO Chair in AI Ethics and Governance, IE University, Spain
Keynote: Daniel Innerarity, Chair in AI & Democracy at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Italy
Remarks: Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
Speakers:
- Elsa Pilichowski, Director for Public Governance (online), OECD
- Helga Nowotny, Emeritus Professor of Social Studies of Science, ETH Zurich
- Piergiorgio Donatelli, Professor of Philosophy at the University of La Sapienza and member of the International Board of the Chair Artificial Intelligence and Democracy at the European University of Florence
- Joanna Bryson, Professor of Ethics and Technology, Hertie School of Governance
- Mark Bryan Manantan, Director of Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies, Pacific Forum (on line)
- Merve Hickok, President, Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), (online)
15.30 to 16.45: AI and Synthetic Content: definition, challenges, and opportunities
The rise of generative AI models, capable of creating content from minimal input, presents both significant opportunities and risks and calls for ethical governance frameworks able to navigate such a complex landscape. This panel will bring together diverse experts to discuss how these tools can enhance and automate creative and reasoning tasks and what the ethical challenges that they may pose are. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the discussion will first centre on defining the “problem” and on having a better understanding of what constitutes synthetic content. It will then be broadened to cover the wide array of AI-generated digital outputs and the possible implications for societies and economies that they may have.
Moderator: Mariagrazia Squicciarini, Chief of the Executive Office, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
Keynote: Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the US President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies (online)
Speakers:
- Lee Tiedrich, Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Law and Responsible Technology, Duke University
- Rumman Chowdhury, U.S. Envoy on Science
- Nataliya Kos'myna, research scientist at MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group
- Seydina Moussa Ndiaye, lecturer at Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University
- Julie Lavet, EU Member States and Partnerships Lead, OpenAI
- Bambang Riyanto Trilaksono, Indonesian RAM Lead Expert, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Institut Teknologi Bandung
- Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy to the Director and Chief of Telecommunication Standardization Policy Department, ITU
- Lucia Marucci, Associate Professor in Systems and Synthetic Biology at University of Bristol (online)
- Amir Banifatemi, AI Commons and organizer of Global Trust Challenge (online)
17:00 to 18:15: AI in Global Development: Empowering ethical deployment and use of AI through strengthened institutions, capacities and frameworks
Every country faces unique challenges to develop, deploy and use AI in an ethical manner. While advanced economies establish dedicated institutions for AI, many other countries lack the essential infrastructure and resources needed for addressing the risks while harnessing the benefits of AI. Development assistance can play a pivotal role in building the capacities of governments to harness AI for good by fostering ecosystems that favour wellbeing and sustainability over market-driven approaches, and to use AI for sustainable development. Policy tools such as the UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the USAID Global AI Development Playbook support countries in building an enabling environment to foster AI for the common good. This panel will explore why prioritizing ethical considerations in building institutions, capacities and frameworks is key to create an enabling environment to harness the benefits of AI for all. The session will also discuss how to build international collaboration, share best practices, and disseminate lessons learned to advance this approach globally.
Moderator: David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at The Alan Turing Institute and Professor of Ethics, Technology and Society at Queen Mary University of London
Keynote: Eileen Donahoe, Special Envoy and Coordinator for Digital Freedom, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (online)
Speakers:
- Byeongjo Kong, Digital Technology Specialist, Digital Technology for Development Division, Asian Development Bank
- Saida Belouali, Professor of applied ethics at Mohammed Premier University in Oujda,
- Robert Trager, Director, Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative
- Sak Segkhoonthod, senior advisor to the Executive Director of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency
Henri Verdier, French Ambassador for Digital Affairs, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (online)
Abdulrahman Habib, Deputy Chief Strategy Officer, Saudi Data and AI Authority
18:15 to 18:30: Closing
Mariagrazia Squicciarini, Chief of the Executive Office, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
Further Details
With the effective and ethical governance of AI representing one of the most crucial challenges of our era, UNESCO’s Policy Dialogue on AI Governance aims to gather and share experiences, expertise and good practices among countries at different stages of the technological and policy discussion. The aim is to facilitate mutual learning and dialogue within and between governments and with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, academia, and civil society.
UNESCO 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI remains to date the only global normative instrument worldwide, applicable to all 194 UNESCO Member States, and represents the backdrop against which the policy conversation on AI governance takes place, allowing for institutional interoperability and effective and coordinated approaches.
