At the Boston Global Forum Symposium “Framework for Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital”, December 12, 2021, Professor Nazli Choucri, Board Member of Michael Dukakis Institute, presented ideas about the Declaration of Action of Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital:
“The intention as I understand the Declaration of Action of Global Law and Accord on AI and Digital is to establish an Action Plan. The vision has been set out in earlier documents and is along the line of a secure, safe and peaceful AI and Digital World.
A more tangible goal would be needed. I suspect that this requires some serious discussion but something like “an international negotiating team is nominated to negotiate an AI International Accord or a Treaty on AI (or AI and Digital)”.
One would then need to identify the steps that need to be taken to realise that goal. The resolution of some key issues, such as the ones just mentioned, would logically form part of the plan. With those fundamental issues resolved, one could seek to encourage lawyers to address other architectural issues ahead of detailed drafting.
A key aim of such a plan would be to share the ideas, and enrich the ideas and seek to get some momentum behind a movement, using a variety of formats
Dialogs
- with political leaders
- with business leaders and innovators
- between political leaders and business leaders
Roundtables with
- governments, EU, UN
- Congress, Parliaments, National Assembly
- Think tanks, thought leaders, universities
- Boston Universities, including Harvard, MIT, Brandeis, Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, UMass Amherst, and
- UK universities (Oxford, Cambridge, London)
- Civil society organizations
Papers, Blogs, Books, Debates, webinars, workshops
One could envisage the group engaging particularly with a set of key developed and developing countries. If a group of countries is really convinced about what you are arguing, then they can take on the wider engagement and political promotion themselves.
As a stepping stone to the ultimate goal, I suggest that it would be important to make the most of the opportunity such as the Secretary-General’s 2023 Summit of the Future, with the aim of obtaining a positive decision to work towards (or investigate) an AI International Accord or the establishment of a global governance system for AI (or Digital and AI – or whatever depending on the outcome of earlier decisions).
Here is the video of her speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrTHer6Vst0
