UN representative: ethical issues should be at the heart of AI design

Human rights and respect for human dignity must be at the heart of technological development. This was stated by the Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Nihal Saad at the XXIV meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, sb.by correspondent reports.

The documents discussed at the meeting (the Code of Ethics for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Religious Sphere and the Role of Religions in the Fight against Climate Change) are very timely, because the relevant topics are of global concern, Nihal Saad stressed:

- Addressing climate change and artificial intelligence requires governments, civil society, and religious leaders to join forces. It is necessary to raise awareness at the community level, to carry out information and educational work. Artificial intelligence affects many aspects of our lives. When used wisely, it can help accelerate education, medicine, and support the Sustainable Development Goals. However, issues of ethics, confidentiality and accountability are acute.

- Human rights and respect for human dignity must be at the heart of technological development. The challenge is not to answer whether AI should be developed. It does not depend on us, neural networks will develop. We need to ensure that this development is ethical. Ethical issues should be at the heart of AI design and should not be considered a secondary topic. The two documents on the agenda are different, but they have a common focus on responsibility and dialogue. The UN supports all projects that contribute to building peaceful and inclusive societies.

Issues of ecology, AI: what is discussed at the meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions