United Nations Releases Report: Governing AI for Humanity

The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Body on AI released a report, Governing AI for Humanity, calling for a new policy dialog on AI so that the UN’s 193 members can discuss risks and agree upon actions. The report asserts that while AI is transforming our world, offering tremendous potential for good, the opportunities it provides may not manifest or be distributed equitably if the technology is left ungoverned. AI, therefore, presents challenges and opportunities that require a holistic, global approach cutting transversally across political, economic, social, ethical, human rights, technical, environmental and other domains. In this interim report, the UN outlined principles that should guide the formation of new international AI governance institutions. These principles acknowledge that AI governance does not take place in a vacuum, that international law, especially international human rights law, applies in relation to AI.