U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, a member of Club de Madrid, has been urging world leaders to consider the consequences of emerging technologies. In February, he called for global rules and norms to minimize the impact of cyber warfare on civilians. In a speech at the University of Lisbon, his alma mater, he said:
“I am absolutely convinced that, differently from the great battles of the past, which opened with a barrage of artillery or aerial bombardment, the next war will begin with a massive cyber attack to destroy military capacity… and paralyze basic infrastructure such as the electric networks.”
Secretary-General Guterres has also stated the importance of artificial intelligence:
“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to accelerate progress towards a dignified life, in peace and prosperity, for all people,” he said this past October. “The time has arrived for all of us – governments, industry and civil society – to consider how artificial intelligence will affect our future.”
We applaud the Secretary-General’s forward thinking – world leaders should certainly be considering the wide-ranging implications that artificial intelligence will have. Because of this, AIWS and MDI have partnered with Club de Madrid. AIWS is collaborating with CdM on their Next Generation Democracy initiative, which considers the increasing challenges democratic governments around the world are facing today.