UN adopts AI guidance developed by University of Stirling

UN working party participants this week adopted policy guidance on regulating artificial intelligence developed by University of Stirling Honorary Professor Markus Krebsz.

Professor Krebsz, of the University of Stirling Management School, addressed representatives of the United Nations’ 193 member states at a gathering in Geneva on the issue of regulating artificial intelligence without stifling innovation.

Professor Krebsz’s work resulted in the UN Economic Commission for Europe Working Party 6 (UNECE WP.6) producing global guidance on regulatory compliance of products and services with embedded artificial intelligence or other digital technologies.

The UNECE WP.6 paper, authored by Professor Krebsz, recommends that common international standards and compliance are globally aligned, and that only AI-embedded products that comply with these standards are put on national markets. It also calls for governments to put human rights, societal impact, and digital considerations from an UN perspective at the heart of any regulatory framework, alongside the environment and sustainability.

Among the products covered by the proposals are Internet-enabled toys with AI, civilian drones, robots, AI-enabled medical diagnostic tools, smart speakers, the newest ranges of AI-powered security cameras and other devices such as smartphones.

Member states’ representatives attending WP.6’s 34th Annual session this week adopted the common regulatory arrangement with a view to becoming signatories of the declaration, also authored by Professor Krebsz.

Professor Krebsz, UN ECE WP.6 AI project lead and also Founding Director of the Human-AI Institute, said: “It has been the privilege and honour of a lifetime to be leading over the last four years on such an important piece of global regulatory guidance, which has implications for more than 8bn people - from consumers to businesses and academia - everywhere. I’m delighted that this was adopted by the member states’ representatives and am hoping this work will provide the springboard for a future UN AI treaty or convention.”

He added: “There is a growing risk of humanity losing control in light of both increasingly greater AI agency and, ultimately, AI autonomy. It is important to carefully balance AI advances and innovation by protecting individual and collective freedoms and, ultimately, for humans to remain in control of Artificial intelligence.”

Professor Kevin Grant, Dean of the University of Stirling Management School, said: “That one of our Stirling professors is at the heart of worldwide AI regulation speaks volumes about the cutting-edge research and teaching here at Stirling Management School. We are proud to have Markus at the helm of this important framework as we all grapple with the benefits, drawbacks and ethics of AI.”