UNESCO holds roundtable on ethics of AI

The UNESCO held a roundtable on "Artificial Intelligence: Reflection on its complexity and impact on our society" in Paris on September 11, 2018.

The roundtable aimed to raise awareness about the latest developments and related ethical challenges concerning AI.

The roundtable was moderated by Dr. Peter-Paul Verbeek, professor of philosophy of Twente University, Netherlands, and member of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), and open to public.

Focusing on the "Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI)", the roundtable brought together eminent experts in science, law, medicine, biotechnology, ethics, philosophy and sociology, entrepreneurs, concerned international organizations, as well as the general public to discuss related issues, in the hope of leading to potential areas of cooperation at the international level.

While AI has the potential to transform the future of humanity for the better and for sustainable development, there is thus also a prevailing awareness of the risks and challenges associated with AI, especially in terms of deepening existing inequalities and divides, human rights implications, and potential biases embedded in the algorithms of AI-based technologies. In order to sketch possible scenarios and unlock action potentials to grasp opportunities while managing risks, it is important to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how societies may be transformed by these technologies, taking account of how they are controlled and to which cultural understandings they respond.