Press Conference: Closing the AI Access Gap
18 Jan 2024 09:00h - 09:30h
Event report
As artificial intelligence (AI) advances rapidly, how can we ensure no one is left behind? This press conference presents findings from new research from the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance and calls for proposals from public and private actors to ensure access and inclusion are at the top of the evolving landscape of AI development and deployment.
More info: WEF 2024.
Knowledge Graph of Debate
Session report
Full session report
Cathy Li
The AI Governance Alliance was launched in 2023 as an action-oriented public-private partnership focused on AI governance. It consists of over 250 individuals from more than 200 organizations across six continents. One of the key contributions of the alliance is the release of procedural recommendations on responsible generative AI. These recommendations highlight the importance of accountability at every stage of the AI lifecycle, particularly focusing on technical dimensions such as guardrails and responsible release of AI models and applications.
The alliance also evaluates business transformation for responsible generative AI adoption across various industries and sectors. This evaluation involves assessing the use cases of generative AI and understanding their impact on value chains and business models. The aim is to ensure that the adoption of generative AI is done responsibly.
Furthermore, the alliance addresses important debates surrounding AI governance, such as the choice between open source and closed source approaches. It also promotes regulatory interoperability and international cooperation, aiming to create a resilient governance and regulation framework for AI.
In terms of ethics and inclusivity, the alliance advocates for equity, inclusion, and global access to AI. It seeks to prevent countries in the global south from being left at the end of the AI value chain and encourages their participation and partnership in the development and deployment of AI technologies. The alliance also focuses on enhancing inclusive access to AI systems and improving data quality.
An important aspect of the alliance’s work is the creation of relevant international frameworks and public-private partnerships. By establishing these frameworks and partnerships, the alliance aims to aid and enhance efforts in AI governance, ensuring that AI development and deployment align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The alliance also highlights the potential benefits of AI technology and its real-life applications, including moonshot applications in areas such as addressing climate change, education, and healthcare. It emphasizes that AI technology should not be seen as mere “window dressing” but as a practical solution to real-world problems.
In summary, the AI Governance Alliance is an ambitious and inclusive initiative aimed at promoting responsible and inclusive AI governance. Through its procedural recommendations, evaluation of business transformation, and focus on ethics, inclusivity, and global access, the alliance strives to shape the development and deployment of AI technologies in a way that benefits all stakeholders. Its efforts to create international frameworks and partnerships further strengthen its impact on AI governance. Ultimately, the alliance seeks to harness the potential of AI technology and ensure its benefits are felt by ordinary people in their daily lives.
Paula Ingabire
The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, hosted in Rwanda, is focused on AI and data policy. Its goal is to create products that can be replicated across Africa. By prioritising AI and data policy, the centre aims to harness the power of emerging technologies for the continent’s development. It is part of a network that allows them to learn from other centres’ best practices and success stories.
Africa’s youthful population and lack of legacy infrastructure present a unique opportunity for the continent to fully leverage the benefits of AI. With a youthful and active workforce, Africa not only has the potential to consume technology but also to create it. Additionally, the absence of legacy infrastructure gives Africa the advantage of adopting emerging technologies easily to solve its various challenges.
Adopting AI and other emerging technologies can also provide advantages to developing countries. By embracing these technologies, Africa can address its unique challenges and enhance economic growth. The argument is that by betting big on AI and other emerging technologies, developing countries can level the playing field and bridge the gap with more developed nations.
To effectively harness the potential of AI, countries need reliable infrastructure, compute capacity, and partnerships. It is worth noting that currently, only ten percent of countries globally own one hundred percent of the computing capacity. This highlights the necessity of investment in infrastructure and partnerships to ensure access to this crucial resource.
Affordable and accessible technology is vital to avoid exacerbating the digital divide. By making technology more affordable and accessible, countries can ensure that disadvantaged communities are not left behind in the era of AI and emerging technologies.
AI literacy and skills are crucial for creating inclusive, safe, and responsible products. It is important to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand and navigate the world of AI. By promoting AI literacy and skills development, countries can foster inclusivity, ensure ethical AI applications, and minimize potential harm.
Data strategies are another critical aspect in the AI era. Countries need robust data strategies that include sharing frameworks and data protection measures. These strategies are necessary to ensure the responsible and secure use of data, as well as foster trust between stakeholders.
Furthermore, governments should lead the way by implementing AI use-cases and creating flexible regulatory frameworks. By applying AI in various sectors and learning from these use-cases, governments can shape effective regulations that promote innovation while safeguarding societal well-being and economic growth.
In conclusion, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Rwanda is actively focusing on AI and data policy with the aim of creating products that can be replicated across Africa. The continent’s youthful population, combined with the absence of legacy infrastructure, provides Africa with a unique opportunity to fully exploit the benefits of AI. By investing in reliable infrastructure, compute capacity, and partnerships, adopting affordable and accessible technology, promoting AI literacy and skills, implementing robust data strategies, and creating flexible regulatory frameworks, countries can harness the potential of AI to drive inclusive and sustainable development.
Sabastian V. Niles
The speakers in the discussion all agree that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to bring about transformative economic and humanitarian benefits. They highlight the importance of trust in order to fully unlock AI’s potential. Trust is viewed as a necessary condition for the successful deployment and adoption of AI.
Moreover, the speakers argue that AI can drive productivity, creativity, and overall economic growth. It has the capacity to significantly enhance various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and urban planning. The potential benefits of AI in these areas are seen as substantial and have the potential to improve the lives of individuals and communities.
The importance of ensuring worldwide accessibility and inclusivity of AI is also emphasized. It is considered vital to bridge the digital divide and reduce inequalities. By making AI accessible and inclusive, it can be used as a tool to empower underprivileged populations and promote social progress.
The role of businesses is recognized as crucial in the AI revolution. The speakers assert that businesses have a responsibility to adopt a trust-first approach and prioritize the ethical and social implications of AI. They should also collaborate with civil society, governance, and industries to anticipate and manage potential risks associated with AI deployment.
Upskilling and reskilling are highlighted as essential for the successful adoption of AI. The speakers point out that investing in developing skills in AI can create new job opportunities and contribute to economic growth. Salesforce is cited as an example of a company that has been investing in AI and skills development for over a decade. The World Economic Forum’s estimation of 97 million new jobs resulting from the AI opportunity further supports this argument.
Furthermore, the speakers stress the importance of promoting AI not solely for its own sake but with the goal of benefiting individuals, communities, and businesses. They argue that AI should be used as a means to enhance the human experience and accelerate the ability of communities and businesses to achieve their priorities.
Finally, there is strong agreement among the speakers for trust-based, multi-stakeholder partnerships in AI. They argue that the only path forward is through a collaborative approach that prioritizes trust. This requires active engagement and cooperation between various stakeholders, such as governments, businesses, academia, and civil society.
In conclusion, the speakers in the discussion recognize the transformative potential of AI with its economic and humanitarian benefits. Trust, accessibility, inclusivity, and collaboration are seen as crucial pillars for successfully harnessing AI’s potential for the greater good. Additionally, upskilling and reskilling, ethical considerations, and a focus on benefiting individuals, communities, and businesses are emphasized. Trust-based, multi-stakeholder partnerships are seen as the way forward in shaping the responsible and beneficial use of AI.
Amandeep Singh Gill
The analysis highlights the speakers’ emphasis on the importance of inclusive governance and equitable distribution of benefits when harnessing AI opportunities. The first step towards achieving this is involving the global south in the governance of AI. It is argued that inclusive governance is crucial in order to ensure that the benefits of AI are available to everyone, especially in reducing inequalities.
Furthermore, the analysis emphasizes the need for international cooperation to reach a new threshold in AI policy. The speakers believe that this cooperation is essential for effectively harnessing the opportunities presented by AI, managing the associated risks, and ensuring inclusion. The goal is to move from a narrative to action, where concrete steps are taken in both the policy side and the private sector to deliver AI benefits and advance sustainable development goals.
Partnerships for progress are seen as crucial, particularly between the private sector and governments, private sector and international organizations, and amongst civil societies. The private sector is viewed as playing a vital role in delivering progress on sustainable development goals. This can be achieved by developing necessary skills, providing engineering talent for beneficial use cases, and by providing access to data that can be useful for public sector researchers and social entrepreneurs.
The analysis also calls attention to the need for democratizing opportunities through the establishment of regional centres of excellence. The efforts of countries like the UAE and Rwanda in establishing such centres are commended. It is stressed that progress cannot be solely delivered by a few countries and companies, emphasising the need to democratize access to opportunities in the AI field.
Overall, the analysis underscores the importance of inclusive governance, international cooperation, and partnerships for progress in harnessing the potential of AI. The need to move from a narrative to action, as well as the importance of democratizing opportunities, are key themes emphasized. The arguments presented highlight the speakers’ positive sentiment towards these ideas and the potential they hold for advancing both AI development and sustainable development goals.
Kirsten Salyer
The discussions held at the World Economic Forum in Davos revolved around the significance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the global economy and its impact on the workforce. The topic of AI was recurring and considered to be of utmost importance. It was acknowledged that AI has the potential to bring about positive changes, but there were also concerns raised regarding its implications on inequality.
One of the main issues highlighted during the forum was the growing gap in AI accessibility and inclusion between the global north and south. It was observed that the global north, consisting of technologically advanced countries, has greater access to AI technologies and resources compared to the global south, which includes developing nations. This growing disparity in access to AI technologies has the potential to widen existing inequalities between nations.
To address this challenge, it was proposed that a new global effort is required to promote equitable distribution of AI technologies. It was recognized that collective action is necessary to ensure that the benefits of the digital economy, enabled by AI, can be enjoyed by everyone. The conference aimed to encourage actions that would bridge the gap by promoting equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their geographical location or economic status.
Moreover, the forum called for urgent action to reduce inequality in AI accessibility and emphasized the need for equal benefits of the digital economy. The discussions concluded that it is imperative to ensure that the advantages and opportunities offered by AI are not limited to only a select few but are made accessible to all members of society. This call to action recognizes the potential risks associated with AI, particularly the risk of widening inequalities, and highlights the importance of addressing these issues promptly.
In conclusion, the discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos highlighted the importance of AI in the global economy and workforce. While AI has the potential to bring positive impacts, there are concerns regarding its implications on inequality. The growing gap in AI accessibility and inclusion between the global north and south presents a challenge that requires a collective global effort to promote equitable distribution of AI technologies. The forum called for urgent action to reduce inequality in AI accessibility and advocated for equal benefits of the digital economy for all individuals.
Omar Al Olama
Omar Al Olama, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, is optimistic about the future of AI and its governance. He believes that AI governance should be global and inclusive, ensuring that all nations have a voice in shaping the policies and regulations surrounding AI. This stance aligns with his involvement in the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Committee and his appointment as Minister of Artificial Intelligence in 2017.
To support his belief in inclusive AI governance, Al Olama highlights the initiatives undertaken by the UN Secretary General’s AI Governance Committee. The committee recently announced its interim report, which focuses on the importance of establishing a global framework for AI governance. Additionally, the World Economic Forum has developed a toolkit aimed at assisting governments in navigating the complexities of AI governance. These initiatives serve as evidence of the growing recognition that global cooperation is necessary to address the challenges and opportunities presented by AI.
Furthermore, Al Olama aims to address ignorance in the decision-making process regarding AI. He plans to open-source the curriculum that has been developed since 2018 in collaboration with the University of Oxford and other partners. By sharing this curriculum, he hopes to educate and empower individuals and organizations to make informed decisions about AI. This commitment to education aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, highlighting the importance of equipping individuals with the necessary knowledge to navigate the AI landscape.
In addition to governance and education, Al Olama acknowledges the growing need for countries and companies to access GPU and compute capabilities for training AI models. He notes that the production of these capabilities currently does not meet the demand. This observation underscores the urgency for investment in infrastructure, as GPU and compute capabilities play a crucial role in advancing AI technologies.
The UAE, under Al Olama’s leadership, is taking a proactive approach to address these challenges. They have launched open-source AI applications, such as Falcon and JACE, which enable countries and companies without the necessary facilities to benefit from AI advancements. By making these large-language models available, the UAE is promoting inclusivity and reducing inequalities in the AI domain. Furthermore, the UAE is actively engaging in government-to-government meetings to explore how countries can leverage their compute capabilities and foster investment in compute facilities and open-source AI models.
In conclusion, Omar Al Olama’s optimism about the future of AI and its governance is backed by his involvement in international initiatives and his position as Minister of Artificial Intelligence. His call for inclusive AI governance, education, and investment in infrastructure highlights the importance of global collaboration and equitable access to AI resources. The UAE’s initiatives, including the launch of open-source AI applications and active engagement in international discussions, demonstrate their commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in the AI domain.
Speakers
AS
Amandeep Singh Gill
Speech speed
145 words per minute
Speech length
707 words
Speech time
293 secs
CL
Cathy Li
Speech speed
180 words per minute
Speech length
1217 words
Speech time
406 secs
KS
Kirsten Salyer
Speech speed
189 words per minute
Speech length
976 words
Speech time
310 secs
OA
Omar Al Olama
Speech speed
189 words per minute
Speech length
719 words
Speech time
229 secs
PI
Paula Ingabire
Speech speed
204 words per minute
Speech length
1059 words
Speech time
311 secs
SV
Sabastian V. Niles
Speech speed
171 words per minute
Speech length
744 words
Speech time
261 secs
Related event
