Background
The rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have provided the world with immense opportunities for development, but they have also raised the alarm on its potential to negatively impact our safety, security, and equality. The risks and potentialities of AI are international in nature and are influenced by as well as impact all levels of society including citizens, government, and industry. Under the theme AI for All: Bridging Divides, Building Sustainable Futures, the United Nations University Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) is convening a multisectoral conference to provide a platform for coordination and collaboration of diverse stakeholders in explicating the problems and solutions of AI. As a UN system think tank focusing on leveraging digital technologies for sustainable development, UNU Macau aims to connect the problem-owners (e.g. policy makers) and solution providers (e.g. academia and technology industry), and to facilitate dialogue between the Global North and the Global South, as well as between the cultural East and West.
Conference Themes
Participants from across all sectors (e.g., academia, civil society, government, industry) may submit expressions of interest to the conference that fall broadly into one or more of the following themes:
- AI to Accelerate SDGs
- Submissions focused on what AI can do to accelerate the achievement of SDGs. For instance, Some AI empowered tools can support poverty reduction or climate change;
- AI Governance for the Future
- Submissions that examine the complex and interconnected issues related to the digital ecosystem and governance of AI, highlight the roles and responsibilities of various actors and stakeholders in ensuring ethical, legal, and social good outcomes of AI, and promote equitable development or empowering vulnerable, marginalized and underrepresented communities;
- AI and Capacity Building
- Submissions that are concerned with harnessing the full potential of AI by building the capacity of individuals, organisations, and societies to understand, create, and use AI effectively and responsibly, particularly capacity building activities on AI for government officials, technology communities, and teachers.
Objectives
- To create a platform for knowledge sharing on applied AI issues among multiple stakeholders (governments, industry, academia, & the UN)
- To connect diverse stakeholders and support meaningful collaboration
- To co-create solutions for and with AI that are data-driven, inclusive, and sustainable
- To support and enable a multi-stakeholder community on AI that is inclusive of the Global South and the cultural East
Our participants
The conference is expected to host 500 international participants, who are:
- Government officials; 60-80 senior participants representing ministries of ICT from 20 developing countries;
- Academics working in a range of disciples associated with AI, e.g., computer science, ethics, and law;
- Technology industry leaders;
- UN system representative; 2-3 UN top leaders will participate in the conference;
- Foundations and donors;
- Youth, especially university students from the Global South (developing regions);
- Civil Society Organizations;
- Host governmental representatives.
