Q2/2020 - UNESCO

International expert group for drafting a normative instrument on the ethics of artificial intelligence, 20 - 24 April 2020 (virtual consultations)

The 24-person Ad-Hoc Expert Group (AHEG) for drafting a normative instrument on the issue of “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence” established by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, has started work[1].

From 20 to 24 April, the AHEG held a series of virtual consultations. They started with clarifying some principal questions and drafting the general design of the envisaged normative instrument. There was general consensus that any development and application of artificial intelligence had to be in line with the international standards of human rights.

The first negotiation round came up with an initial draft of a potential UNESCO recommendation, which was published on 15 May 2020. The draft presents the proposals made during the consultations in April, well-structured on 19 pages in 111 paragraphs[2].

The planned recommendation by UNESCO shall focus in particular on the ethics aspect of artificial intelligence and develop a “holistic framework of interdependent values, principles and actions that can guide societies in the AI lifecycle refering to human dignity and well-being as a compass to deal responsibly with the known and unknow impacts of AI systems in their interactions with human beings and the environment”. The first draft formulates six “Values”[3], twelve “Principles[4] and eleven “Areas of Policy Action”[5]. 

During the consultations, AHEG also elected the members to the AHEG Bureau. Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem form Pretoria University was elected Chair of the Board. Sang Wook Yi (Korea) was elected Rapporteur. Vice Chairpersons are Constanza Gomez Mont (Mexico), Irena Nesterova (Latvia), Golestan Radwan (Egypt) and Peter-Paul Verbeek (The Netherlands)[6]. For the period from May to July 2020, extensive multistakeholder consultations are scheduled. A consolidated draft of the UNESCO recommendation can be expected to be available at the end of the year. The document is planned to be adopted at UNESCO’s 41st General Conference in November 2021.

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Q2/2020UNESCO
  1. [1] UNESCO’s international expert group begins work on drafting the first global recommendation on the ethics of AI, Paris, 27 April 2020: „The group of experts discussed an initial set of values, basic principles and recommended policy actions anchored in universal ethical values and human rights for the design, development and deployment of AI. The experts also emphasized the concerns of low-income countries, the welfare of present and future generations, the impact of AI on the environment, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, gender and other biases, inequalities between and within countries, and leaving no one behind“. In: https://en.unesco.org/news/unescos-international-expert-group-begins-work-drafting-first-global-recommendation-ethics-ai
  2. [2] Outcome Document: FIRST VERSION OF A DRAFT TEXT OF A RECOMMENDATION ON THE ETHICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, UNESCO-Doc. SHS/BIO/AHEG/2020/4 Rev. Vm 15 May 2020, Paris, in: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373434
  3. [3] Ibid: Section III.1 „1. Human Diginity, 2. Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, 3. Leaving No One Behind, 4. Living in Harmony, 5. Trustwothiness, 6. Protection of the Environment.“
  4. [4] Ibid, Section III.2: „1.For Human and Flourishing, 2. Proportionality, 3. Huan Oversight and Determination, 4. Sustainability, 5. Diversity and Inclusiveness, 6. Privacy, 7. Awareness and Literacy, 8. Multistakeholder and Adaptive Governance, 9. Fairness, 10. Transparency and Explainability, 11. Safety and Security, 12. Responsibility and Accountabiliy
  5. [5] Ibid; Section IV. „Promoting Diversity and Inclusiveness, 2. Addressing Labour Market Changes, 3. Adressing the Social and Economic Impact of AI, 4. Impact on Culture and on the Environment, 5. Promoting AI Ethics Education and Awareness, 6. Promoting AI Ethis Research, 7. Promotong Ethical Use of AI in Development, 8. Promoting International Cooperation on AI Ethoics, 9. Establishing Governance Mechanisms for AI Ethics, 10. Ensuring Trustwothiness of AI Systems. 11. Ensuring Responsibility, Accountability and Privacy
  6. [6] Elaboration of a Recommendation on ethics of artificial intelligence, AHEG Bureau, https://en.unesco.org/artificial-intelligence/ethics