United States leads first artificial intelligence UN resolution

The United States is leading the way in passing a new United Nations rule about artificial intelligence. The goal is to make sure this new technology is safe and fair, and that all countries, especially those that are still developing, can use it.

The resolution wants to make sure that all countries can participate in discussions about AI and have the technology to use it for things like finding diseases, predicting floods, and training workers.

The draft says AI is growing quickly and we need to agree on how to make sure it’s safe, secure, and trustworthy. It also says we need to keep talking about how to govern AI.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US wants to talk with countries around the world about how to deal with the effects of AI technology.

He said that the resolution would show worldwide support for basic rules for using AI. It would also show how AI can be used for good while controlling the risks.

Sullivan said that if it’s approved, the resolution will be an important step in making AI safe and reliable all over the world.

The United States started talking with 193 countries in the UN about three months ago. They spent a lot of time talking one-on-one with each country and had long discussions with all the countries together. They also listened to ideas from 120 countries. This information comes from a senior US official. All member states agreed on the resolution and it will be officially discussed later this month. The official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly.

General Assembly resolutions are not legally required to be followed, but they still show the opinions of many countries around the world.

One important aim of the draft resolution is to use AI to help make progress toward reaching the UN’s development goals for 2030, like ending global hunger and poverty, improving global health, making sure all children can go to good secondary schools, and achieving gender equality.

The draft resolution wants everyone to make rules for safe AI systems. This includes countries, organizations, experts, and regular people.

European Union leaders are going to make the world’s first complete AI rules official on Wednesday. Many countries, including the United States. China and international organizations like the Group of 20 are also working on creating rules for AI.

The US wants the UN and other countries to help poor countries use digital technology and safe AI systems. It stresses that AI systems need to always respect, protect, and support human rights and freedoms.

The US Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, remembered when President Joe Biden talked about how new technologies like AI have a lot of potential at the General Assembly last year.

She said the resolution is focused on getting countries to agree on how AI should be created and used, especially to help reach the UN’s goals for 2030.