Group of Seven (G7) nations leaders have convened in Hiroshima, Japan to discuss the establishment and acceptance of technical standards to ensure the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence (AI).
During the meeting, the leaders expressed concerns that the governance of AI has not kept up with its rapid advancement.
While acknowledging that there may be different approaches to achieving a “common vision and goal of trustworthy AI,” the G7 leaders highlighted the importance of digital technology rules aligning with their shared democratic values, as stated in their official statement.
This agreement follows the European Union’s progress towards enacting legislation to regulate AI technology, which could potentially become the world’s first comprehensive AI law and set a precedent among advanced economies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the desire for AI systems to be accurate, reliable, safe, and unbiased, regardless of their origin.
The G7 leaders emphasised the need for immediate assessment of the opportunities and challenges posed by generative AI, a subset of AI technology popularised by applications like the ChatGPT app.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT drew attention from Elon Musk and a group of AI experts, who raised concerns in March and called for a six-month pause in developing more powerful systems due to potential societal risks. EU lawmakers later urged global leaders to find ways to regulate AI technologies, as their development was outpacing expectations.
The United States has taken a cautious approach to AI governance, with President Joe Biden recently stating that the potential dangers of AI are yet to be determined. Sam Altman, the CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI, suggested to a Senate panel that the U.S. should consider implementing licensing and testing requirements for AI model development.
As the host of this year’s G7, Japan has adopted a supportive stance toward the public and industrial adoption of AI while remaining vigilant about its associated risks. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated the importance of effectively managing both the potentials and risks of AI during discussions with the government’s AI council last week.
In contrast to the varying approaches of Western nations towards AI, China has adopted a more restrictive policy. In April, its cyberspace regulator introduced draft measures aimed at aligning generative AI-powered services with the country’s core socialist values.
Despite acknowledging their differing perspectives on AI regulation, the G7 leaders reached an agreement to establish a ministerial forum called the “Hiroshima AI process.”
The forum aims to address issues surrounding generative AI, including topics like copyrights and disinformation, and is scheduled to convene before the end of this year.
Additionally, the leaders urged international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to undertake analysis on the impact of policy developments in the AI field.
The G7 summit followed a meeting of digital ministers from its member countries, including the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. During the meeting, they expressed the need for adopting “risk-based” AI regulations.
Furthermore, the EU and the US are expected to engage in discussions about emerging technologies at the Trade and Technology Council in Sweden on May 30-31.
