UNGA to Vote on Resolution for International AI Standards, Excludes Military Use, US

The UN General Assembly will turn its attention to artificial intelligence on Thursday, weighing a resolution that lays out the potentially transformational technology’s pros and cons while calling for the establishment of international standards. The text, co-sponsored by dozens of countries, emphasizes the necessity of guidelines to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems, while excluding military AI from its purview. On the whole, the resolution focuses more on the technology’s positive potential, and calls for special care to bridge the artificial intelligence and other digital divides between and within countries. The draft resolution, which is the first on the issue, was brought forth by the United States and will be submitted for approval by the assembly on Thursday. It also seeks to promote, not hinder, digital transformation and equitable access to AI in order to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to ensure a better future for humanity by 2030.