Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has expressed the opinion that having the expectation that artificial intelligence can be kept under control is similar to having a "magical thinking" attitude.
Mr Wales, who has devoted much of his time to educating politicians about the web and its ability to facilitate free expression, states: "Politicians and their staff often have a deficient knowledge of the internet and what is attainable."
He suggested that entrusting the United Nations with the regulation of AI would be like asking them to govern Photoshop - a futile endeavor.
This summer, UN Secretary General António Guterres held the inaugural UN Security Council meeting to analyze the need for and extent of regulation concerning AI, spurring on the issue of its potential risks.
Referring to the many perils surrounding the use of AI such as cyber attacks powered by it, the hazard of its malfunction, its capacity to disseminate inaccurate information, and its relationship to nuclear arms, Mr Guterres asserted that, "In the absence of steps taken to tackle these risks, we are not fulfilling our obligations to the generations of today and tomorrow."
UN Secretary-General Guterres has taken steps to put into effect the formation of a UN committee to look into what laws should be imposed worldwide. This committee, referred to as the High-Level Advisory Body for Artificial Intelligence, is set to consist of "current and former government officials, along with industry, civil society, and academic professionals".
Its initial findings will be published by the end of this year. Last week, tech heavyweights such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta engaged in conversations with US legislators in the nation's capital regarding AI and possible regulations.
Despite AI insiders' skepticism, Pierre Haren, who has been researching the field for 45 years, states that global regulation can still be successful.
He has seven years of experience with the computer company IBM, wherein he acted as the head of the group responsible for putting in Watson supercomputer technology for their customers. This AI was first introduced in 2010 and has the ability to answer questions presented by the end-user. Watson was one of the original AI technologies.
Although Mr Haren has an extensive history in the field, he expressed astonishment at the emergence and capabilities of ChatGPT and other types of artificial intelligence programs over the last twelve months.
Generative Artificial Intelligence can be simplified to AI that has the capability to generate novel content such as words, images, music, and videos. Furthermore, it can take a notion from one instance and apply it to another entirely different one.
Mr Haren states that this skill is comparable to that of a human. "Unlike a parrot, it is not simply mimicking what we give it," he claims. "It is demonstrating a sophisticated form of understanding."
According to Mr Haren, creating a set of rules to prevent AI from getting out of control is not feasible due to the fact that some nations are unwilling to accept them. So we need to be extra careful."
He points out that in a world which has nations such as North Korea and Iran, that are not cooperative and are not observant of AI regulations, that we must take extra caution.
The prospect of regulating non-cooperative actors is highly unlikely! Can you imagine Iran, who is searching for ways to eliminate Israel, giving any attention to regulations on Artificial Intelligence?
Reinhard Scholl, a physicist, is the originator of the UN's "AI For Good" programme, the goal of which is to come up with practical AI solutions to facilitate the realization of the UN's sustainable development aspirations. Among these aspirations are the elimination of poverty, the extinction of hunger, and the provision of clean water in all parts of the world.
AI for Good first originated in 2017 as a yearly gathering, and since then has developed into a regular series of online seminars that cover all aspects of AI.
AI for Good has attracted a significant following, boasting more than 20,000 subscribers, yet Mr Scholl remains cautiously hopeful rather than optimistic.
He emphatically proclaimed that AI should absolutely be regulated, comparing its regulation to the safety regulations placed on car and toy manufacturers.
He fears that AI provides a platform from which malicious individuals could acquire dangerous skills. In practice they can do it quickly and easily."
He states that while a physicist is knowledgeable in constructing a nuclear bomb in principle, doing so in reality would be challenging. However, if AI is used to create a biological weapon, much less knowledge is required, thus enabling the process to be executed quickly and effortlessly.
Should it become too effortless for individuals to inflict significant harm through AI, then surely somebody will.
What form might a UN regulatory body on AI take? One suggestion is that it follows a similar structure to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); an organization that oversees global air travel and safety and has 193 member nations.
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Robert Opp, chief digital officer for the UN Development Programme and an AI expert, supports the establishment of an organization akin to the ICAO.
The agency is charged with assisting nations in increasing economic prosperity and eliminating poverty. His position involves attempting to discover how technology can amplify the organisation's effect.
Mr Opp has expressed that he does not wish to stymie the use of AI to quickly examine satellite photos of agricultural land in destitute regions, or hinder the possibility of generative AI helping people in low-income circumstances to create a business.
He acknowledges the dangers that come with AI, expressing a keenness to work out suitable regulations as soon as possible. "We must act swiftly to establish AI governance."
Regardless of importance, Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia believes that the United Nations is extremely misguided.
He believes that international bodies are making a huge mistake in giving too much credit to tech giants like Google for the flood of AI products. Mr Wales states that no amount of benevolent intentions will be able to impede the progress of individual software developers and their application of AI.
He claims that outside of the main tech players, numerous coders are utilizing AI software that can be found all over the internet, and that its base code is open to everyone. According to him, it is highly improbable that any form of regulation relating to those taking advantage of such software could be implemented.
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