AI Policy as a Response to AI Ethics? Addressing Ethical Issues in the Development of AI Policies in North Africa (original) (raw)

Demystifying AI and AI Companies – What Foreign Policy Makers Need to Know About the Global AI Industry

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2019

As a scientific discipline, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around since the late 1950s. During the past few years, however, a subdiscipline of AI known as Machine Learning (ML) has captured the imagination of investors, technologists and policy makers with break through achievements in the recognition of speech and images and its performance in playing complex games. Countries all over the world are adopting national strategies to position themselves to get a piece of the proverbial pie, setting up new public funds to support AI research, expert groups on AI ethics, or new initiatives to study the implications of AI on the future of work. But AI is not only a hot topic for social and economic policy. It has also become an increasingly important topic in the foreign policy community. For example, as national governments try to strengthen their own AI innovation base, they are worried about domestic AI companies becoming targets of foreign takeovers. But while there has been a lot of talk about AI, the policy debates still suffer from a poor understanding of what AI actually is and means. This paper seeks to address this problem. It explains why most of the international conversation on AI is focused on Machine Learning (ML). In chapter one it breaks down ML into its core inputs-data, software, hardware, and human talent, explaining the importance of each of these inputs for building and applying AI. Chapter two introduces a model with three stages to assess the capabilities of AI companies: early stage ventures, larger companies using AI, and AI platforms. The analytical framework introduced in this paper can help foreign policy analysts understand AI and develop tools to monitor trends, especially among companies. Foreign policy officers can leverage the distributed network of embassies for information gathering and analysis on the global distribution of ML's core ingredients and global AI companies. Furthermore, the framework allows foreign policy makers to inform government as a whole on the international AI developments and their economic and ultimately geostrategic implications.

AI and Its Policy Implications in Global Politics: Leverages and Impediments

JETIR, 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming one of the major evolutions in global politics along with other emerging technologies that comes under the umbrella terms of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This new revolution has been challenging the traditional notion of economy and security since its inception. Many countries are investing massively in the advancement of this technology, and now it has become an indispensable aspect of global power. All countries have different approach of adoption and implications. China, United States and India have introduced their strategy paper on AI and policy makers are utilizing these emerging technologies as per their needs with the consideration of the environment of the society. There is no universal pattern on the policy making as there is no universal laws and norms of the usage of this technology and hence it creates apprehensions and hope among nations. This paper is focusing on the policies that have been introduced by major countries and it will critically analyze the opportunity and challenges to the global politics and its impact on nations. AI is creating another kind of digital divide and technological advancement gap between developed and developing nations. The quest of supremacy in AI between China and the United States is a major concern among nations as well as main determinant in policy making.

Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Emerging International Trends and Policy Frames

Ulnicane, I., W. Knight, T. Leach, B.C. Stahl and W.G. Wanjiku (2022) ‘Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Emerging international trends and policy frames’, in M.Tinnirello (Ed.) The Global Politics of Artificial Intelligence. CRC Press, pp.29-55. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429446726-2 , 2022

In recent years, national governments, international organizations and stakeholders have launched numerous Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies and reports. Recent research has mostly focused on AI ethics, while topics of AI policy and governance have received less attention. To address this research gap, this chapter addresses two main questions: what is driving fast-developing AI policies around the world and what are the main frames of emerging AI policies. To make sense of recent AI policy developments, this chapter draws on literature on emerging technologies, in particular on studies of performative function of hypes and expectations as well as of collaboration and competition dynamics in emerging fields. The analysis demonstrates that the fast-development of AI policy is largely driven, firstly, by a wide range of impacts of AI, and, secondly, by international assemblies such as the World Economic Forum and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development as well as by cross-national policy learning. However, AI policy developments are unevenly distributed around the world and are predominantly concentrated in the most developed regions. This chapter identifies three main AI policy frames: first, framing AI as revolutionary, transformative and disruptive technology; second, closely interconnected global competition and collaboration in the field of AI; and thirdly, a three-pillar approach of realising opportunities, mitigating risks and ensuring responsible AI. The chapter highlights that AI policy developments influenced by perceptions of hype, positive and negative expectations as well as global competition and collaboration can have not only positive but also problematic effects on resource allocation and political prioritization.

Governance, politics & policies of Artificial Intelligence

2021

While recent debates about societal aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have largely focused on ethics principles and guidelines, questions of governance, politics and policies of AI have received less scrutiny. To address this gap, over more than three years I have been leading AI governance research programme to examine questions such as – What are the roles of the government in shaping AI development and use? And what are the roles of society? How and why AI strategies are developed and launched? And which ideas, interests and values do they prioritise and which ones do they leave out? These questions are addressed in our analysis of 49 AI policy documents adopted by national governments, international organizations, consultancies, think tanks, and civil society organizations. An interdisciplinary conceptual framework developed for this research approaches AI as an emerging technology characterized by fast growth, considerable impacts, uncertainty, hype, and positive as well as negative expectations.

What lessons can be learnt from other countries or international organisations in their approach to artificial intelligence?

Pragmatic solutions to the issues presented by artificial intelligence in the United Kingdom This paper considers the role of the Government and aims to address: 'What lessons can be learnt from other countries or international organisations in their approach to artificial intelligence?' Includes definition of artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the science and engineering that enables computer systems to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, including decision-making, speech recognition, visual perception, and communication. Subsets of AI include: (1) machine learning – i.e. programmed conditional statements and classification trees that enable machines to mimic natural intelligence, and (2) ‘deep learning’ which is best characterized as self-trained software (i.e. programmed algorithms) primed for recognition and communication. Much of AI’s value is in human-machine communication, which has, effectively, blurred the boundaries between ‘the artificial’ and ‘natural,’ and plays a significant role in social development.

Global AI governance: barriers and pathways forward

2023

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), combined with a proliferation in use, have led to a newfound emphasis on strengthening the global governance of AI. In this article, we assess the prospects for stronger global AI governance and consider potential pathways forward. We map the nascent landscape of international regimes focused on AI governance and conclude that a governance deficit remains due to the inadequacy of existing initiatives, gaps in the landscape and difficulties reaching agreement over more appropriate mechanisms. First-order cooperation problems stemming from interstate competition and second-order cooperation problems from dysfunctional international institutions problematise overcoming current deficiencies in global AI governance. In light of these cooperation problems, we evaluate two pathways for strengthening global AI governance: (a) developing new centralised international AI institution(s) and (b) strengthening coordination between, and capacities of, existing institutions. We argue that strengthening the existing weak 'regime complex' of international institutions is the more politically legitimate and viable path forward. Improving coordination between, and capacities of, existing international institutions governing AI would support inclusive and mutually reinforcing policy change that can mitigate a range of risks associated with these technologies. As first steps for strengthening the weak AI regime complex, we recommend that the OECD is foregrounded as a centre of expert AI knowledge so that it can facilitate peer pressure among states and harmonisation of policies. We also encourage scrutiny of different nodes in the regime complex to ensure that they are fulfilling appropriate functions based on their democratic mandates.

Governance, politics & policy of Artificial Intelligence II

2023

How does society perceive Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what do people expect from it? Is AI seen as a major force that will change global power dynamics or is it perceived as a solution to the main problems that society face today like climate change and poverty? These are some of the questions explored in the recent publications from my research programme on governance, politics and policy of AI, analysing how policy documents from Europe and the United States frame AI, its purpose and recommendations to govern it.

International governance of AI: key multilateral bodies and initiatives

The Global Politics of Artificial Intelligence, 2020

Table for book chapter on Multilateralism and AI: The objective of this chapter is to discuss how multilateralism, and the United Nations (UN) in particular, can play a role in encouraging further engagement in artificial intelligence (AI) at the global level. In a fragmented landscape, despite numerous initiatives on AI principles by civil society, the industry, and some governments, the international governance of AI lacks coordination and has been plagued by competition. The UN has been active on several fronts, including UNESCO’s Ad Hoc Expert Group on AI ethics and the follow-up of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. The UN is well positioned to take advantage of ongoing initiatives to offer a credible multilateral track, under the auspices of the Organisation, towards ethical, human-centred, and peaceful uses of AI systems. At this juncture, advisory bodies and voluntary platforms can help pave the way for the UN to bridge differences by promoting international cooperation, prevention, and foresight.