Global Cooperation, Interoperability Key on AI, Panel Agrees
International collaboration and interoperability are critical as AI develops, panelists said Thursday at the European AI Alliance Assembly in Madrid. Individual nations and regions are considering their approaches to AI regulation. Canada proposed an AI and Data Act in 2022…
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that takes a framework approach, said Karen Kennedy, Canada's senior trade commissioner. Instead of focusing on every possible risk involved, the measure sets a general risk-based approach, focused on interoperability, which can be shaped over time with further laws and standards. The U.S. wants "digital solidarity" rather than "digital sovereignty" as it moves forward on AI, said Merry Walker, State Department senior adviser to the special envoy for critical and emerging technology. It established an AI bill of rights last year, followed by President Joe Biden's executive order on AI earlier this month. This stopgap measure provides a framework for what the U.S. wants to accomplish while lawmakers consider what to do, she said. The U.S. approach is also risk-based, and emphasizes the importance of testing, monitoring and evaluating throughout the life of AI systems. The U.S. relies heavily on voluntary commitments and is pushing for standard-setting and international cooperation. The U.S. approach is similar to the EU's in its emphasis on standardization, which is important for international cooperation, said Lucilla Siolo, European Commission director for AI and digitalization of industry, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. Codes of conduct are good, she said, but it's also useful to check how they're implemented and if they're being complied with. Interoperability is key to preventing regulatory fragmentation, said Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development deputy secretary-general: Even among like-minded countries there are differences. This leads to the question of what globally acceptable values can be found, and whether systems can be made interoperable, he said. At least eight initiatives on AI are taking place worldwide. Some, like the U.N. or Group of 20, are broad; others, such as the G7 and the London AI Safety Summit, are narrower. It's too late for everyone to take a single approach, so they must find common ground on principles, Knudsen said. Latin American and Caribbean nations reached a "milestone" two weeks ago when they approved the Santiago Declaration, which will establish an AI working group, said Eleonora Lamm, UNESCO program specialist-social and human services. This will be the first regional governance body on AI, and it will act on the political and technical level, she said.