by Editor BGF | Sep 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
Distinguished leaders from Boston and Balkan regions to collaborate for Global Law on AI and Digital Rights
(Boston-Baku) September 29, 2021 – Two distinguished organizations from the Northeast United States and the Balkans, Boston Global Forum (BGF) and Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), today announced a collaboration to promote pioneering initiatives related to a Global Alliance for Digital Governance. The initiative, which was the subject of a recent Policy Lab online forum, also involves the United Nations Centennial Initiative, AI World Society (AIWS) and the Club de Madrid.
The joint announcement states that BGF will support NGIC’s Global Enlightenment Education Program in Baku, as well as a number of other initiatives.
BGF and NGIC will exchange resources to develop initiatives to solve complex and controversial issues in the world today and shape the future for “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.”
Under the agreement, the BGF and NGIC will join in promoting the Global Alliance for Digital Governance (GADG), and NGIC will connect governments of Balkan and Middle East nations to support the Alliance. The two organizations will recommend speakers, promote conferences and forums, and publicize joint events.
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Co-Founder and CEO of the BGF, hailed the agreement and noted its impact on expanding the Alliance: “NGIC will bring a high level of engagement and distinguished leaders of the Balkans, contributing to the creation of a Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital Rights, and discuss the Accord at significant conferences that NGIC often organize in many cities as New York, Beijing, Riga, Athens, Andorra, Cairo, Sarajevo, Sofia, Brussels, Missions in Kiev, Tel-Aviv, Amman, Istanbul, Bucharest, which are attended by many head of states and government leaders.”
About the Boston Global Forum
The Boston Global Forum (BGF) offers a venue for leaders, strategists, thinkers and innovators to contribute to Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
In 2019, the Boston Global Forum, in collaboration with the United Nations Academic Impact, launched the United Nations Centennial Initiative. It began with the release of a major work titled “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”. More than twenty distinguished leaders, thinkers, strategists, and innovators put forth unprecedented approaches to the challenges that lay before the world. These contributors include President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Governor Michael Dukakis, Father of Internet Vint Cerf, Former US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Harvard University Professors Joseph Nye and Thomas Patterson, MIT Professors Nazli Choucri and Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, and MEP Eva Kaili.
The BGF introduced core concepts that are shaping groundbreaking international initiatives, most notably, the Social Contract for the AI Age, AI International Law and Accord, the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, the AI World Society (AIWS) Ecosystem, and the AIWS City.
About the Nizami Ganjavi International Center
– Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) is an international, non-political organization dedicated to the memory of the great Azerbaijani poet, Nizami Ganjavi and to the study and dissemination of his works with a mission to build a dialogue, understanding, mutual respect, tolerance between cultures and peoples for building functional and inclusive societies. Nizami Ganjavi International Center’s main mission is to promote Learning, Tolerance, Dialogue, Understanding and Shared Societies in a world in many ways today facing unprecedented challenges.
Board members of NGIC include the former presidents and prime ministers of the Balkan area and Northern European leaders from Finland, Latvia, Belgium, the United Nations, and distinguished figures from the U.S.
Contact:
∙ Nguyen Anh Tuan. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 617-286-6589 or Jim McManus: [email protected], 617-413-9232
by Editor BGF | Sep 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
On August 4, 2021, Forbes published the article:
Developing Coherent AI Infrastructure For Smart Cities by Annie Brown
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anniebrown/2021/08/04/developing-coherent-ai-infrastructure-for-smart-cities/?sh=6b4590a91d3f
Here are an excerpt of the article:
New Paths for Politics and Society
AI unlocks the capacity for data to be used in transformational ways, but it still requires guidelines. A growing body of AI specialists see the powerful potential of AI to play a role in both politics and society, if the right standards are in place.
It’s called the AI World Society (AIWS) and aims to build “A Better World With AI.” Composed of leaders from around the world, this body is attracting leaders from technology, world governments, and innovators who recognize AI’s key role in building a better tomorrow.
With representation at the UN, the G7 Summit, the AI International Accord Conference—and with a growing body of sponsored research and thought leadership—AIWS may provide much-needed guardrails to the ever-increasing supply of AI-powered tools, including smart cities.
AI has the potential to optimize life-saving, life-sustaining resources, including water, electricity, traffic, housing, and education. As the prevalence of AI tools increases, politicians and citizens alike must be empowered to understand and use technology.
Two initiatives by AIWS that have sparked worldwide interest are the AIWS Ecosystem and AIWS City. Co-founder Tuan Nguyen, an esteemed mathematician, explains the concept of the AIWS Ecosystem in this way: “Many things function with a team of systems. AI makes it possible to need and use only one. Enhanced applications make it possible for people to become innovators.”
Tuan Nguyen, AIWS
Data scientists, technologists and other leaders are supporting a structure of models for facilitating a digital age. As an example of their activities, at the 2020 Riga Conference, leaders from AIWS relayed a new policy brief entitled “Social Contract for the Artificial Intelligence Age: Safety, Security, and Sustainability for the AI World.”
AIWS has a growing presence in Paris, Rome, Riga, Vienna, Munich, and now further west into the United States. This body could make it possible for every person to have access to AI tools that make their lives better and easier. In fact, it is their stated mission to provide support to urban environments, but also to rural areas, reducing inequality and connecting people to centralized tools and information.
The City of the Future
Emergency services, community improvements, infrastructure, and the very roads that convey vital goods could all be enhanced by AI-fueled technologies. Some of the simplest ideas have the potential to go the furthest. Dedicated leaders are committed to using AI in safe, thoughtful, and tested ways. Their shared goal? To improve the quality of life for every person in every community around the world.
by Editor BGF | Sep 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Boston-Madrid, September 9, 2021 — This week’s high-level online Policy Lab, sponsored by the Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum, explored ideas and strategies to arrive at an International Accord on AI and Digital Rights. The forum ended today with an urgent call to action for stakeholders to work toward an Accord that facilitates innovation while protecting rights in AI and Digital Societies.
The three-day CdM-BGF Policy Lab featured vibrant plenary sessions that facilitated discussions about concepts and issues facing policymakers around the globe as they negotiate frameworks for AI and Digital Societies. Many of the discussions highlighted the significant contributions contained in the new book, “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment” published by the UN Centennial Initiative.
On the final day, the Plenary VI session focused on The Social Contract for the AI Age as the standard for the AI International Accord and Global Alliance for Digital Governance. The session, entitled “Building safer, equitable and trustworthy AI and digital societies: The AI International Accord (AIIA)”, featured speakers including:
Facilitator:
William Hoffman, Head of Data-Driven Development, World Economic Forum
Lead Speaker:
Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, Director, MIT Connection Science and Human Dynamics labs, Co-author of the Social Contract for the AI Age
Speakers:
Zlatko Lagumdžija, Member of Club de Madrid, Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2002), Distinguished Contributor to the book “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”
Esko Aho, Member of Club de Madrid, Prime Minister of Finland (1991-1995)
Karine Caunes, Global Program Director, Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP)
Gregor Strojin, Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI)
Closing Remarks:
Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF), Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation
María Elena Agüero, Secretary General of Club de Madrid (CdM)
Speakers agreed that the global community cannot wait for governments or international organizations to act. The Global Alliance for Digital Governance will take action to connect think tanks, influencers, experts, and citizens to contribute to building International Laws, International Accord on AI and Digital, while simultaneously working with governments and international organizations towards this goal.
Remaking the World takes a major step toward creating a “rights-based agenda for the global governance of AI and digital societies,” says Nguyen Anh Tuan, who edited the book and serves as CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF). “We’re moving toward a framework, an ecosystem, a social contract for the AI age.” Tuan also directs the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation.
The 256-page book is made up of white papers, speeches, remarks, and other presentations at events held during the pandemic and sponsored or co-sponsored by BGF. Among the contributors are well known policy makers and innovators such as Ursula von de Leyen, President of the European Commission, Ashton Carter, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Vint Cerf, “the father of the Internet” and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google; former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
The opening chapter, authored by leading scholars and policy makers affiliated with the Boston-based group, proposes a “social contract,” or an agreement among members of global society to cooperate in the interests of social wellbeing. Just as TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, the Social Contract for AI Age is a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions. One of many principles enunciated is that individuals have a right to both privacy and “access and control over their own data.”
Tuan added that Remaking the World, along with the Policy Lab, represents the first time that prominent international leaders are coming together to lay the groundwork for global AI accords. The book is currently in an electronic edition and will be available in print soon.
For more information, or to review video summaries of the Policy Lab, please visit: aidigitalrights.com
About the Boston Global Forum
The Boston Global Forum (BGF), in collaboration with the United Nations Centennial Initiative, released a major work entitled Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
More than twenty distinguished leaders, scholars, analysts, and thinkers put forth unprecedented approaches to the challenges before us. These include President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Governor Michael Dukakis, Father of Internet Vint Cerf, Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Harvard University Professors Joseph Nye and Thomas Patterson, MIT Professors Nazli Choucri and Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, and European Parliament Member Eva Kaili.
The BGF introduced core concepts shaping path breaking international initiatives, notably, the Social Contract for the AI Age, an AI International Accord, the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, the AI World Society (AIWS) Ecosystem, and AIWS City.
About the Club de Madrid
Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who leverage their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic practice and improve the well-being of people around the world.
As a non-partisan and international non-profit organisation, it counts on the hands-on governance experience of more than 100 Members from over 70 countries, along with a global network of advisers and partners across all sectors of society.
This unique alliance stimulates dialogue, builds bridges and engages in advocacy efforts to strengthen public policies and effective leadership through recommendations that tackle challenges such as, inclusion, sustainable development and peace at the national and multilateral level.
Links and Attachment:
- Media kit for Policy Lab
- Registration for Policy Lab
- About the Boston Global Forum
- Cover of Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment
Contact:
Nguyen Anh Tuan: [email protected], 617-286-6589
Jim McManus: j[email protected], 617-413-9232
by Editor BGF | Sep 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
Former President of Latvia, Leading Figures from Greece, Viet Nam, International Organizations Call Attention to Growing Need for Rights Accord
Boston-Madrid, September 7, 2021 — During this week’s high-level online Policy Lab to explore ideas and strategies to arrive at an International Accord on Digital Rights, sponsored by the Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum, the Plenary V session will focus on the upcoming United Nations’ Centennial Initiative and its role in helping to develop such an Accord. The session begins at 9 A.M. EST on Thursday September 9, as part of the three-day Policy Lab.
The UN Centennial Initiative was launched in 2019 by the United Nations Academic Impact in partnership with The Boston Global Forum. The Initiative hosts roundtable discussions, conferences, new concepts, solutions, think pieces, and reflections as we look ahead to the global landscape in 2045—the United Nations Centennial year. It’s mission is: Remaking the World: The Age of Global Enlightenment.
The core concepts of the UN Centennial Initiative include the idea of a social contract for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) age, a framework for an AI international accord, an ecosystem for the “AI World Society” (AIWS) and a community innovation economy.
Some of these ideas have already begun to be put into practice, including the evolution of an AIWS City being developed by NovaWorld in Phan Thiet, Viet Nam as a pilot project. AIWS City is a virtual digital city dedicated to promoting the values associated with AIWS. It looks to bring together a global enlightenment community of scholars, innovators, leaders, and citizens dedicated to fostering thought, creativity, and ethical behavior.
Mr. Tran Dinh Thien, Senior advisor to the Vietnamese Prime Minister, expressed his excitement to build NovaWorld Phan Thiet City into a leading healthcare and wellness tourism destination:
“Nova World Phan Thiet and AIWS City will become a model, representative of the standards and ambitions of the United Nations Centennial Initiative and the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid.
Vietnam invites world leaders, ideologists, and innovators to Phan Thiet, to support the plan to build NovaWorld Phan Thiet City… We look forward to receiving unique ideas and suggestions to help Phan Thiet develop and become a leading ecosystem for a new economy, one for those looking to pioneer in the Age of Global Enlightenment, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the United Nations.”
Ramu Damodaran, Co-Chair of the United Nations Centennial Initiative, will be the lead speaker at the Plenary V session, scheduled for 9 AM EST. The panel will also feature:
● Former President of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, a member of Club de Madrid;
● Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of State and Digital Governance of Greece, Chair of the Global Strategy Group, OECD
● Thomas Patterson, Research Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Professor of Government and the Press of Harvard Kennedy School
● Sean Cleary, Advisor of Club de Madrid, Executive vice-chair of the FutureWorld Foundation, Member of the Carnegie Council’s Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative’s Board of Advisors
● Tran Dinh Thien, Professor, Senior Advisor to Vietnamese Prime Minister
The Facilitator for the session will be David Silbersweig, Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Co-Director for Institute for the Neurosciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University Professor.
The policymakers, including former presidents and prime ministers, will convene September 7-9 for a virtual “Policy Lab” co-sponsored by the Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum. In advance of the gathering, the Boston Global Forum has teamed up with United Nations Academic Impact to release Remaking the World: Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
Together with the upcoming Policy Lab, Remaking the World takes a major step toward creating a “rights-based agenda for the global governance of AI and digital societies,” says Nguyen Anh Tuan, who edited the book and serves as CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF). “We’re moving toward a framework, an ecosystem, a social contract for the AI age.” Tuan also directs the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation.
The 256-page book is made up of white papers, speeches, remarks, and other presentations at events held during the pandemic and sponsored or co-sponsored by BGF. Among the contributors are well known policy makers and innovators such as Ashton Carter, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Vint Cerf, “the father of the Internet” and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google; former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
The opening chapter, authored by leading scholars and policy makers affiliated with the Boston-based group, proposes a “social contract,” or an agreement among members of global society to cooperate in the interests of social wellbeing. Just as TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, the Social Contract for AI Age is a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions. One of many principles enunciated is that individuals have a right to both privacy and “access and control over their own data.”
Elsewhere in the book, political scientist Nazli Choucri of MIT articulates a framework for artificial intelligence international accords, including “the precautionary principle,” which aims not to impede innovation but to “explore the unknown with care and caution.” Likewise, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, discusses the need for an AI “ecosystem of trust.” This would include regulation not “for regulation’s sake,” but for the purpose of protecting basic rights, encouraging innovation, and spurring technological leadership. They are among 25 prominent contributors to the book.
Tuan added that Remaking the World, along with the Policy Lab, represents the first time that prominent international leaders are coming together to lay the groundwork for global AI accords. The book is currently in an electronic edition and will be available in print soon.
For more information, or to register to attend the Policy Lab September 7-9, please visit: aidigitalrights.com
About the Boston Global Forum
The Boston Global Forum (BGF), in collaboration with the United Nations Centennial Initiative, released a major work entitled Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
More than twenty distinguished leaders, scholars, analysts, and thinkers put forth unprecedented approaches to the challenges before us. These include President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Governor Michael Dukakis, Father of Internet Vint Cerf, Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Harvard University Professors Joseph Nye and Thomas Patterson, MIT Professors Nazli Choucri and Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, and European Parliament Member Eva Kaili.
The BGF introduced core concepts shaping path breaking international initiatives, notably, the Social Contract for the AI Age, an AI International Accord, the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, the AI World Society (AIWS) Ecosystem, and AIWS City.
About the Club de Madrid
Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who leverage their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic practice and improve the well-being of people around the world.
As a non-partisan and international non-profit organisation, it counts on the hands-on governance experience of more than 100 Members from over 70 countries, along with a global network of advisers and partners across all sectors of society.
This unique alliance stimulates dialogue, builds bridges and engages in advocacy efforts to strengthen public policies and effective leadership through recommendations that tackle challenges such as, inclusion, sustainable development and peace at the national and multilateral level.
Links and Attachment:
· Media kit for Policy Lab
· Registration for Policy Lab
· About the Boston Global Forum
· Cover of Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment
Contact:
Nguyen Anh Tuan. Email: [email protected], 617-286-6589 or Jim McManus: [email protected], 617-413-9232
by Editor BGF | Sep 6, 2021 | Uncategorized
Leading policymakers from around the world explore promise and pitfalls of new technologies
Boston-Madrid, September 2, 2021. As leading policymakers from around the world prepare for a pivotal meeting on digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence, a first-of-its-kind book is drawing attention to the bold idea of establishing international accords to help guide the evolution of AI while safeguarding against potential abuses.
The policymakers, including former presidents and prime ministers, will convene September 7-9 for a virtual “Policy Lab” co-sponsored by the Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum. In advance of the gathering, the Boston Global Forum has teamed up with United Nations Academic Impact to release Remaking the World: Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
Together with the upcoming Policy Lab, Remaking the World takes a major step toward creating a “rights-based agenda for the global governance of AI and digital societies,” says Nguyen Anh Tuan, who edited the book and serves as CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF). “We’re moving toward a framework, an ecosystem, a social contract for the AI age.” Tuan also directs the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation.
The 256-page book is made up of white papers, speeches, remarks, and other presentations at events held during the pandemic and sponsored or co-sponsored by BGF. Among the contributors are well-known policy makers and innovators such as Ashton Carter, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Vint Cerf, “the father of the Internet” and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google; former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
The opening chapter, authored by leading scholars and policy makers affiliated with the Boston-based group, proposes a “social contract,” or an agreement among members of global society to cooperate in the interests of social wellbeing. Just as TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, the Social Contract for AI Age is a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions.
One of many principles enunciated is that individuals have a right to both privacy and “access and control over their own data.”
Elsewhere in the book, political scientist Nazli Choucri of MIT articulates a framework for artificial intelligence international accords, including “the precautionary principle,” which aims not to impede innovation but to “explore the unknown with care and caution.” Likewise, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, discusses the need for an AI “ecosystem of trust.” This would include regulation not “for regulation’s sake,” but for the purpose of protecting basic rights, encouraging innovation, and spurring technological leadership. They are among 25 prominent contributors to the book.
Tuan added that Remaking the World, along with the Policy Lab, represents the first time that prominent international leaders are coming together to lay the groundwork for global AI accords. The book is currently in an electronic edition and will be available in print soon.
For more information, or to register to attend the Policy Lab September 7-9, please visit: http://www.clubmadrid.org/policy-lab-fundamental-rights-in-ai-digital-societies-towards-an-international-accord/and https://aidigitalrights.com/
About the Boston Global Forum
– The Boston Global Forum (BGF), in collaboration with the United Nations Centennial Initiative, released a major work entitled Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment. More than twenty distinguished leaders, scholars, analysts, and thinkers put forth unprecedented approaches to the challenges before us. These include President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Governor Michael Dukakis, Father of Internet Vint Cerf, Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Harvard University Professors Joseph Nye and Thomas Patterson, MIT Professors Nazli Choucri and Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, and European Parliament Member Eva Kaili. The BGF introduced core concepts shaping pathbreaking international initiatives, notably, the Social Contract for the AI Age, an AI International Accord, the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, the AI World Society (AIWS) Ecosystem, and AIWS City.
About the Club de Madrid
– Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who leverage their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic practice and improve the well-being of people around the world.
As a non-partisan and international non-profit organisation, it counts on the hands-on governance experience of more than 100 Members from over 70 countries, along with a global network of advisers and partners across all sectors of society.
This unique alliance stimulates dialogue, builds bridges and engages in advocacy efforts to strengthen public policies and effective leadership through recommendations that tackle challenges such as, inclusion, sustainable development and peace at the national and multilateral level.
Links and Attachment:
∙ Media kit for Policy Lab
∙ Registration for Policy Lab
∙ About the Boston Global Forum
∙ Cover of Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment
Contact: Nguyen Anh Tuan. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 617-286-6589 or Jim McManus: [email protected], 617-413-9232
