G20 Countries Pledge ‘Responsible AI Development’

Can world leaders use artificial intelligence for good while protecting people from its potential ills?

That question was at the center of this year’s Group of 20 (G-20) summit in India, Bloomberg News reported Sunday (Sept. 10), with some leaders proposing global guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI).

For example, the report said, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the G-20 countries should develop  a framework for “human-centric” AI rules, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a regulatory body similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“It is telling that even the makers and inventors of AI are calling on political leaders to regulate,” she said at a G-20 session in New Delhi Sunday.

And in their closing message, the G-20 leaders pledged to ensure “responsible AI development, deployment and use,” that would safeguard rights, transparency, privacy and data protection.

They also agreed to seek a “pro-innovation regulatory/governance approach” that capitalizes on the benefits of AI while not losing sight of potential risks, the report said.

The group’s meeting comes ahead of a busy week for AI regulation in Washington, with the U.S. Senate planning three hearings to discuss the technology.

Among them is “Oversight of AI: Legislating on Artificial Intelligence,” held by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, with witnesses including Microsoft President Brad Smith and Nvidia Chief Scientist William Dally.

Meanwhile, a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing will focus on the “Need for Transparency in Artificial Intelligence” and feature witnesses from BSA/The Software Alliance and the Information Technology Industry Council.

And U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will host an AI forum Wednesday (Sept. 13), featuring tech leaders and experts such as Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk.

Speaking with PYMNTS last month, Cary Coglianese, the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, said that regulating AI will be a multifaceted effort that varies according to the type of algorithm and its uses.

“It’s not one static thing. Regulators — and I do mean that plural, we are going to need multiple regulators — they have to be agile, they have to be flexible, and they have to be vigilant,” said Coglianese, founding director of the Penn Program on Regulation.

He added that  “a single piece of legislation” won’t fix the problems connected with AI.