Introduction
Although discussions around how we can shape AI responsibly have increased in recent years, these initiatives are often siloed, dispersed, and lack accessible spaces for active collaboration and knowledge exchange. Our project provides a global platform for cultivating transnational and inclusive conversations around AI ethics and governance by fostering engagements between policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and the general public. Through dynamic international partnerships, we aim to contribute towards an equitable sociotechnical AI landscape that is informed by different perspectives and contexts from around the world.
Explaining the science
With rapid and far-reaching developments in artificial intelligence, it is imperative that conversations around AI ethics and governance are fostered inclusively and across national borders to ensure these consequential technologies work for the benefit of everyone. Key to this ambition is UNESCO’s ‘Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence’, the first truly global standard on AI ethics that was adopted unanimously by all 193 Member States. This human-rights centred approach to AI ethics provides actionable policy areas for responsible developments in AI for countries around the world to adopt. The Recommendation is complemented by tools such as the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA), which have been informed by work by The Alan Turing Institute.
In the spirit of fostering more inclusive knowledge exchange about AI ethics, governance and responsible innovation, UNESCO has partnered with The Alan Turing Institute and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to co-produce the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory, a first-of-its-kind platform to support global partnerships across academic researchers, AI ethics experts, AI practitioners, policymakers, and civil society to take place. Currently, UNESCO is working with over 50 governments to deploy these tools and work toward a more equitable AI ecosystem in line with the Recommendation.
Project aims
In February 2024 the Public Policy Programme, in collaboration with UNESCO and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), launched the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory. The aim of this platform is to promote the advancement and operationalisation of AI ethics and governance practices across the globe through knowledge sharing and exchange. This online platform provides a deep dive into UNESCO’s Recommendation and its associated tools and methodologies, including the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA). Drawing from the insights produced by the countries conducting the RAM and open data sources, the Observatory captures the sociotechnical landscape of AI through both country-specific and regional lenses. The Observatory also provides a space for global collaboration and knowledge sharing among experts, hosting a range of UNESCO’s Expert Network Groups including Women4Ethical AI and AI Ethics Experts Without Borders.
Through this international collaboration, The Alan Turing Institute seeks to realise the ambition of the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory being the first-of-its-kind transnational platform for public education, digital skill development, and expert knowledge exchange to support the global implementation of the Recommendation. The successful development of this project would ensure that the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory becomes a key part of engendering a more inclusive and equitable discourse about AI, leveraging different forms of expertise and good practices, therefore filling a unique position in the global AI ethics ecosystem.
Organisers
Researchers and collaborators
Dr Andrés Domínguez Hernández
Ethics Fellow
Morgan Briggs
Senior Research Associate
Sabeehah Mahomed
Researcher, Ethics & Responsible Innovation
Semeli Hadjiloizou
Researcher in Data Justice and Global Ethical FuturesContact info
Morgan Briggs: [email protected]