The Group of Seven advanced nations on Sunday agreed to promote “responsible” use of artificial intelligence as they seek to harness rapidly developing technologies such as AI bot ChatGPT that could be highly beneficial but also face privacy concerns and risks of being misused.
As exchanges of data become a key part of global trade, digital and technology ministers from Japan, the United States and European nations also affirmed during their two-day meeting in eastern Japan the need to establish an international arrangement to enhance the free flow of trusted data across national borders, Kyodo News Agency reported.
The gathering took place as the fast-moving pace of AI development has highlighted the need for international standards to govern the technology, with ChatGPT, developed by US venture OpenAI, grabbing global attention since the launch of its prototype in November.
ChatGPT, whose users reached 100 million around the world in less than three months, was trained on massive amounts of data, enabling it to process and simulate human-like conversations with users.
“Given that generative AI technologies are increasingly prominent across countries and sectors, we recognize the need to take stock in the near term of the opportunities and challenges of these technologies and to continue promoting safety and trust,” the G-7 ministers said in a joint declaration.
They also endorsed an action plan toward “creating open and enabling environments for responsible AI innovation,” calling for broader stakeholder participation in developing international standards over AI governance frameworks, and promoting dialogue on topics such as risk assessment.
To promote so-called Data Free Flow with Trust, a concept proposed by Japan, the G-7 ministers noted the need to “accelerate and operationalize” the idea, saying that data is “an enabler of economic growth, development and social well-being.” The ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union also adopted separate action plans for internet governance and enhancing resilient digital infrastructure in light of geopolitical risks.
“We resolve to cooperate in making visible and tackling the tactics of digital authoritarianism” and “remain committed to protecting our democratic institutions and values from foreign threats,” the statement said.
The G-7 also voiced commitment to constructing secure network infrastructure to support emerging and developing countries and promoting collaboration to improve the connectivity of undersea cables. (QNA)
Source: Qatar News Agency