• The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the first global resolution on artificial intelligence (AI) that encourages countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks.

• The non-binding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China and over 120 other nations, also advocates the strengthening of privacy policies.

• Adopting the resolution without a vote, the UNGA highlighted protection and promotion of human rights in the design, development, deployment and the use of AI.

• It is the first time the UNGA has adopted a resolution on regulating the emerging field. 

• The General Assembly also recognised AI systems’ potential to accelerate and enable progress towards reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

• It urged all States, the private sector, civil society, research organisations and the media, to develop and support regulatory and governance approaches and frameworks related to safe, secure and trustworthy use of AI.

• The resolution is the latest in a series of initiatives by governments around the world to shape AI's development, amid fears it could be used to disrupt democratic processes, turbocharge fraud or lead to dramatic job losses, among other harms.

• In November, the US, the UK and more than a dozen other countries unveiled the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are secure by design.

What is artificial intelligence?

• The term ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.

• AI is the use of digital technology to create systems capable of performing tasks commonly thought to require human intelligence.

• AI is expected to change the way we work and live. In view of its positive impact on the economy, the technology is being embraced by countries across the world. Its proliferation is being regarded as the fourth industrial revolution.

• AI presents enormous global opportunities: it has the potential to transform and enhance human well-being, peace and prosperity.

• AI promises to transform nearly every aspect of our economy and society. The opportunities are transformational — advancing drug discovery, making transport safer and cleaner, improving public services, speeding up and improving diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer and much more.

• However, AI should be designed, developed, deployed, and used, in a manner that is safe, in such a way as to be human-centric, trustworthy and responsible. 

• The opportunities are vast, and there is great potential for increasing the productivity of workers of all kinds. 

• However, these huge opportunities come with risks that could threaten global stability and undermine our values. 

• AI poses risks in ways that do not respect national boundaries. It is important that governments, academia, businesses, and civil society work together to navigate these risks, which are complex and hard to predict, to mitigate the potential dangers and ensure AI benefits society.

Additional read: 

What are deepfakes and synthetic media?

Synthetic media is a general term used to describe text, images, videos or voice that has been  generated using artificial intelligence (AI). It has the capability to alter the landscape of misinformation. As with many technologies, synthetic media techniques can be used for both positive and malicious purposes.

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