"Our institutions...are not ready for machines that decide."
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaks on A.I.
The U.N. Global Dialogue on AI Governance isn’t meant to compose a treaty. Its goal is closer to building the environment in which treaties can be written. Even that might be overly ambitious. It’s a discussion – a dialogue, and not a particularly long one: only two days – not a negotiation. As Reuters’ Olivia Le Poidevin describes it, “delegates will consider a report…”
That report – which we covered last week – remains the keystone of the real story. Policymakers are increasingly paying attention to the threats posed by AI. I’m concerned that they’re not reacting strongly enough, quickly enough, but they do seem to recognize that the pace of change itself is a problem. In his opening remarks today, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres noted precisely this danger:
The internet took fifteen years to reach a billion people. AI got there in two. And these systems are no longer tools awaiting instruction – they are writing code, acting online, and making choices with less and less human oversight.
Our institutions were built to govern machines that follow commands. They are not ready for machines that decide.
It isn’t enough for policymakers just to talk about the dangers. Nothing short of an international treaty will be enough, and I probably won’t relax even after the ink is dry. But you don’t get people acting until you get people talking, and today, every government in the United Nations had a seat at the table.
The Dialogue reconvenes next year, with another report from the scientific community to come. A lot can happen in a year. I say this with apprehension, and I say it with hope.
The analyses and opinions expressed on AI StopWatch reflect the views of the individual contributors and the sources they cover, and should not be taken as official positions of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.
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