Presenter urges stronger AI governance at United Nations dialogue

The presenter, speaking in a recorded message to a United Nations dialogue, said the world needs rules and enforcement to steer artificial intelligence toward the public good rather than private profit. “Without any rules in place to protect the public good, money and power just get leveraged to capture more money and power,” the presenter said.

The speaker warned that public trust in governing institutions is falling. “You look at poll after poll and people all over the world have less and less trust in our institutions that are supposed to govern,” the presenter said, arguing that that lack of trust makes governance both harder and more necessary.

The presenter framed the central choice for AI as one of distribution and incentives. “When it comes to the economy, AI could be used to help everyone live better, or it could just funnel more and more money into a small handful of mega corporations,” they said, adding that “good governance” will determine which outcome occurs.

Using concrete sectors as examples, the presenter said education could see AI used to build students’ skills or become a crutch that undermines learning, and that creativity could be amplified rather than diminished. “Personally, I tend to think that technological innovation and human creativity can both flourish together,” the presenter said.

The message acknowledged that not all governance is good but urged attendees not to give up on designing policies that are effective, enforceable and fair for rapidly developing technology. The presenter closed by thanking the United Nations for facilitating the dialogue and those taking part in the discussion.