U.N Secretary-General Guterres launches 39-member advisory body on AI

The United Nations has launched an initiative to assist the world in managing the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence, AI.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres established a 39-member advisory body comprised of executives from technology companies, government officials, and academics from countries spanning six continents.

The panel hopes to release preliminary recommendations on AI governance by the end of the year and finalize them before the United Nations Summit of the Future in September.

Mr Guterres pointed to possible uses including predicting crises, improving public health and education, and tackling the climate crisis.

However, he said, “it is already clear that the malicious use of AI could undermine trust in institutions, weaken social cohesion and threaten democracy itself.”

Since tech company OpenAI launched ChatGPT last year, there has been widespread concern about the risks associated with AI. Its ease of use has raised concerns that the tool could replace writing tasks that were previously only performed by humans.

With many calling for AI regulation, researchers and lawmakers have emphasized the importance of global cooperation on the issue.

The United Nations’ new AI body will hold its first meeting on Friday.