FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS IN AI & DIGITAL SOCIETIES: TOWARDS AN INTERNATIONAL ACCORD
Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum (BGF) have partnered to narrow this gap between the digital and the policy world. Our joint Policy Lab aims to build consensus around a rights-based agenda for the global governance of AI and digital societies.
The international community has so far failed to adopt a common governance model of digital technologies and AI based on human rights, despite several attempts to articulate such principles. This Policy Lab will serve to identify ideas and policy recommendations that can serve to build consensus around a rights-based agenda for the governance of AI and digital societies as we seek to narrow the gap between the digital and the policy world.
-Transatlantic approaches to protect fundamental rights in AI & digital spaces.
-The elements & process for an international legal framework to protect fundamental rights in AI & digital spaces, towards an AI international accord.
-The Concept and Ecosystem for Digital and AI Society.
-The Global Alliance for Digital Governance
Aside from Boston Global Forum thinkers and Club de Madrid Members, the Policy Lab also gathered representatives of governments, academic institutions and think tanks, tech companies, and civil society. The outcome —a set of policy recommendations on building an international legal framework to protect fundamental rights in AI and digital spaces— will be shared with national governments and decision-makers in multilateral organisations, amongst others, so as to better inform the debate. With their agency and global reach, Members of Club de Madrid are uniquely placed to pull the levers of change and advocate for an international accord that protects fundamental rights in AI and digital spaces.
Club de Madrid and the Boston Global Forum’s five-year plan to advocate for a rights-based approach to the age of AI for Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.
Thank you very much for your support and help to Boston Global Forum, Michael Dukakis Institute and AIWS in the year 2021. We come to 2022 with great values and success of 2021.
In the first AIWS Weekly 2022, we would like to reintroduce significant events and values that will fundamental and foundational for this year.
REMAKING THE WORLD- THE SECOND AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT. THE UNITED NATIONS 2045
This discussion is a special side event of the Rīga Conference 2021 which is co-organised by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation and the Boston Global Forum.
The United Nations Centennial initiative was launched by the Boston Global Forum (BGF) and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in 2019 as the United Nations planned to mark the 75th anniversary the following year. It brought into its fold some of the finest minds of our times as they sought to anticipate the world, and the United Nations, in 2045, the year of the world organization’s centennial. The core concepts of the initiative are reflected in the book “Remaking the World: Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”; these 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 a Global Alliance for Digital Governance and the evolution of AIWS City, a virtual digital city dedicated to promoting the values associated with AIWS.
This session discussed concepts of the book to build the Age of Global Enlightenment, and the particular role of the Baltic States – who celebrate thirty years of United Nations membership this year-in this regard.
Dr Vaira Vīķe- Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia from 1999 to 2007
Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of the Boston Global Forum, Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Co-Founder of the AI World Society Innovation Network, Co-Founder of AIWS City
Paul F. Nemitz, Director for Fundamental rights and Union citizenship in the Directorate-General for JUSTICE of the European Commission
Alex `Sandy’ Pentland, Director of the Human Dynamics Laboratory, MIT’s, Director of the MIT Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program, Co-Leader of The World Economic Forum Big Data and Personal Data Initiatives, Founding Member of The Advisory Boards for Nissan, Motorola Mobility, Telefonica
Thomas Patterson, Research Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Professor of Government and the Press of Harvard Kennedy School, Distinguished Contributor to the Book “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”
Moderator: Prof Žaneta Ozoliņa, Chairwoman of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation
Paul Nemitz, member of Global Enlightenment Community of AIWS City, contributed to the Boston Global Forum debate on December 12, 2021:
We all converge in the risk analysis and we all converge in our call for making rules which mitigate the risks and for international cooperation.
At the same time, we live in a time in which the type of agreement we need for domestic rulemaking and also for international cooperation is ever less forthcoming. In fact, the scarcest resource today is not the one great idea, the one paper written by a great academic or for that matter the next phantastic start-up. The scarcest resource today is the willingness and ability to agree on rules, both domestically, to adopt laws, and on an international level.
It is this the reason why in the US Congress is basically not at all anymore able to adopt laws for the digital. And it is this the reason why we are in danger of gesture politics, in which words sound great, but actions are meagre.
This difficulty falls in a time where at the same time measuring success of policy progress has become more possible than in the past. Whether the policy of climate change actually has positive effects can actually be measured scientifically.
We can also count how much hate speech and incitement to violence has been removed from the internet. Most of the policies successes and failures in policies related to digital and AI will be subject to scientific and numerical assessment.
The History of AI Board recognized the below achievements for the History of AI Award 2021, which will be display at the History of AI House:
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act) and amending certain Union Legislative Acts
Framework for Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital, developed by Boston Global Forum and Michael Dukakis Institute.
The Global Alliance for Digital Governance, established by Boston Global Forum and Club de Madrid.
The book Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment, the core of the United Nations Centennial Initiative.
Delphi, a MIT-Janssen’s COVID-19 Forecast Model – MIT researchers and scientists at Janssen Research & Development (Janssen) leveraged real-world data and applied artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to help guide the company’s research efforts into a potential vaccine.
We will deliver more details on December 31, 2021 on the Boston Global Forum website (BostonGlobalForum.org)
On December 12, 2021, at BGF Symposium “The Framework for Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital”, some Pillars of the Global Enlightenment introduced the “Declaration of Action of Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital”. The Global Enlightenment Community is a core value of the AIWS City to practice principles, anchors of the Age of Global Enlightenment. This community is formed by its pillars, who are 25 distinguished contributors of the book Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment:
Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan (9/2006-9/2007, 12/2012-9/2020), 2015 World Leader for Peace and Security Award.
Ashton Carter, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, Harvard University.
VintCerf, “Father of the Internet”, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, Co-author of Social Contract for the AI Age, 2019 World Leader in AI Society Award.
Nazli Choucri, Professor of Political Science, MIT, Boston Global Forum Board Member.
Ramu Damodaran, Chief of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), Co-Chair of the United Nations Centennial – BGF and UNAI Initiative in Honor of the United Nations 2045 Centenary.
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Boston Global Forum, Co-Founder of the AI World Society.
Eva Kaili, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment Panel (STOA), Chair of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence (C4AI), Head of the Hellenic S&D delegation.
Robin Kelly, U.S. Representative (D-IL 2nd District), Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (1/1/2007 – 31/12/2016), Lead the UNESCO Global Education First Initiative, 2016 World Leader for Peace and Security Award.
Didzis Kļaviņš, Senior Researcher, University of Latvia.
Taro Kono, Japanese Minister of Defense (9/2019 – 9/2020), Member of the House of Representatives, Japan.
Zlatko Lagumdžija, Former Prime Minister and Former Foreign Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) Member, Member of the History of AI Board, AIWS.
Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, 2021 World Leader in AI World Society Award.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, 2020 World Leader for Peace and Security Award.
Yasuhide Nakayama, Japanese Defense State Minister, Member of the House of Representatives, Japan, Head of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Division, Mentor of AIWS.net.
Paul Nemitz, Director for Fundamental Rights and Union citizenship in the Directorate-General for JUSTICE of the European Commission, co-author of the AIWS-G7 Summit Initiative 2019.
Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, CEO of the Boston Global Forum, Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Co-Founder of the AI World Society, Founder and former Editor in Chief of VietNamNet.
Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament.
Joseph Nye, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Member of Boston Global Forum’s Board of Thinkers.
Žaneta Ozoliņa, Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Latvia and the Director at the Centre for International Politics, Chairwoman of the Latvian Transatlantic Organization.
Thomas Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press, Harvard University, Research Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation, Co-founder of the Boston Global Forum.
Judea Pearl, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Cognitive Systems Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, recipient of the A.M. Turing Award, 2020 World Leader in AI World Society Award.
Alex Pentland, the Toshiba Professor at MIT, Director, MIT Connection Science and Human Dynamics lab, Co-author of Social Contract for the AI Age.
Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, 6th President of Latvia (1999-2007), President of World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) 2013-2019; 2019 World Leader for Peace and Security Award.
Francesco Lapenta, the Founding Director of the John Cabot University Institute of Future and Innovation Studies (Rome, Italy), a member of the History of AI Board of AIWS Innovation Network (AIWS.net), comments at the “Framework for Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital” of December 12, 2021:
“We must begin taking critical first steps toward global collaboration and safe AI innovation.
One that stands out above the rest is:
Data and Diplomacy based on Open and FAIR Data Principles and Tools, (Data Stewardship and Data Trusts).
Regulation of data sharing is a critical issue that requires immediate international and national coordination, and with data serving as the only energy source for future AI applications, it is one of the most pressing areas of intervention. In medicine, 85 percent of research data is allegedly “wasted” and never used again. There are quantifiable scientific, social, and economic costs to “data waste” and “reproducing overlapping and duplicate data.” From this perspective, I consider “Open Data as Sustainable Data,” data that can significantly contribute to data waste reduction, the optimization and expediting of scientific discovery, increased social benefits, and contribute to economic growth. I consider creating a Global Model for Data Sharing and AI-Driven Sustainable Development a top priority.”
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the invitation to speak today. I made a visit to Boston in 2015 as then Prime Minister and have good memories of visiting the Kennedy Library, Harvard University and MIT. How I wish today that I could revisit Boston and make a real participation in the forum instead of a virtual one.
If we look at the world, we see drastic change in balance of power in recent years, as a result of the rise of nations with state views and values different from our own. In addition, the development of advanced technology is blurring the boundaries between “civilian and military” and “peacetime and contingency.
Cyber-attacks are a prime example of this, with malicious attacks in various forms threatening our peaceful daily lives. Moreover, in some cases, A.I. technology, which is supposed to enrich society, is misused for cyber-attacks.
The security environment surrounding us is undergoing significant changes along with the substantial progress in the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Let’s take cyberattacks as an example. Ransomware has become a major threat worldwide in recent years.
Here in Japan, people’s lives and safety are practically at stake, after some hospital facilities have become the target of Ransomware attacks and forced the suspend new medical consultations.
In addition, several cyber-attacks are large-scaled, shrewd, and strongly suspected of state involvement.
In recent years, critical infrastructures and software companies have been targeted, and therefore the damage tends to increase.
Japan, led by our intelligence bureau, is committed to attribution of such malicious attacks in cooperation with allied and comrade countries. At the same time, our government is determined and collaborating together to promote a legal system that could overcome the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in light of national security.
In recent years, A.I. has been used in a variety of fields.
While sophistication of A.I. enriches and makes our daily lives increasingly convenient, it poses some risks.
There are nations that plan to spread disinformation through deep fakes and to incite and brainwash their citizens.
This is a obvious challenge to universal values of freedom and democracy that we should uphold.
Also, A.I. technology can also be used in actual weapons, and the nature of AI-based autonomous weapons has become the subject of international debate.
As I have just described, traditional approaches to realize security are not sufficient to deal with the various contemporary issues and challenges.
Cameron F. Kerry “The Framework for Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital”
December 12, 2021
Boston Global Forum
It is a pleasure today to honor Andreas Norlén for his work as Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag in hammering out the formation a coalition government. He has been honored across Europe (DE, Spain, Italy), and it is fitting that he is now being honored in the United States.
Sweden has long been held up as a paragon of social democracy and progressive policies. I remember when it was an opposition research point that Mike Dukakis took reports on Swedish child care policy as beach reading. Sweden has also been a global technology leader – with companies like Ericsson and Spotify, and people like Goran Marby at ICANN.
AN: “Like no other.” The political currents Andreas Norlén faced are evidence that the challenges of fragmentation and polarization, nativism, authoritarianism, and disinformation politics are present even in the most democratic countries on earth.
This makes it all the more important that democratic countries band together. Artificial intelligence, e-commerce, malicious online content, election interference, and cyberthreats are all global issues magnified by network effects that no one country – even the United States – can manage by itself.
The issues are broad and complex, and there is no one forum capable of addressing all the issues. Effective policymaking on challenges enabled by digital technology will many different avenues, a network of networks in parallel to the communications systems that link us.
The Boston Global Forum is one node of the wide and diverse network needed. This week’s Democracy Summit is another. The week before last, I attended the Future Tech Forum, where the UK government convened G7 members with ten other democratic countries that are global or regional leaders in digital technology to explore issues in technology policy and development emerging in the next 5-10 years and their implications for public policies.
Packets of progress can travel by diverse paths across these many networks and assemble into a recognizable whole.
AI has been a focus of the work the BGF and the Michael Dukakis Institute. AI is a critical path for cooperation for several reasons. First, it is essential to successful development. In the 21st century, most scientific research involves international collaboration. But this is particularly the case for AI research and development because it crosses institutions, disciplines, and borders because of the scale of data, compute power, skills needed, and relies heavily on open source software.
Cooperation also presents a unique opportunity for collaboration because every country is still in early stages of policymaking. That makes it possible to align approaches in ways that can avoid divergence of the kind that is causing barriers to the free flow of data between the EU and the U.S. and present a coherent counterpoint to China’s techno-authoritarianism, prevent a race to the bottom.
Since the Policy Lab in September, along with Brookings Institution colleagues and partners at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, I released a comprehensive report on international cooperation in artificial intelligence policy and development. The report focuses on 15 concrete steps to put cooperation into practice.
It starts with a simple proposition, that likeminded governments “commit to considering international cooperation in drafting and implementing AI policies.” At the UK’s Future Tech Forum, the UK government gave an example of our recommendation in practice: it asked the participating countries to comment on its proposed Online Safety Act. This is an unusual step—and one that needs to become a norm in digital policymaking.
Much of the report focuses on mechanics of regulation, risk assessment, and standards development. Recall how the internet was developed – researchers like Tim Berners-Lee and organizations like WWW Forum, SDOs, ICANN — stakeholders and technicians – hammered out technical standards and systems. These are an example of the kind of policymaking that needs to happen with regard to AI policy and standards – transnational, multistakeholder, public-private collaboration.
One difference from the technical development of the early internet is that the impact is many times broader, and some multinational corporations have acquired much great power. These companies are essential participants in the policymaking but cannot be the ones to make the rules.
There is one other concrete step for international collaboration on AI I want to mention today. It is that likeminded government commit to collaboration on research and development on projects to harness AI for public goods of global importance, like earth observation for climate change, more powerful computation for privacy-protecting ways of sharing data, or monitoring of public health.
Such projects are ways not only to work together on solving important problems for humanity, but also of working through issues like ethics and data governance in the context of specific uses cases where there is strong motivation to get the job done. It is a challenge but, as President Kennedy said about going to the moon, we should do this “not because [it is] easy, but because {it is] hard… that goal will serve to organize the best measure of our energies and skills.”
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AI is just one domain of digital policymaking where the U.S., its allies, and likeminded countries need to work in concert and align their policies. The price of not doing so is divergence and fragmentation. We already in effect have bifurcated internets on this earth, China’s and a shared internet. We don’t need further forking to diminish global network effects that benefit our planet.
I am grateful to BGF for its work to bring leaders around the world together to build cooperation and trust, and to Andreas Norlén for his example of the painstaking and patient building it takes to forge consensus out of disparate positions. These are the tasks ahead.
