In the unfolding era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), marked by the broader Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), intricate questions emerge at the intersections of ethics, politics, law, and economics. The transformative impact of AI, particularly generative models like ChatGPT, is automating tasks and generating content, promising substantial economic gains. Yet, this innovation brings ethical challenges, from data bias to misinformation. Recognizing the urgency for ethical oversight, UNU-IIST, in collaboration with UNESCO and the University of Macau, is delighted to host the international workshop titled "Ethical AI: Pioneering Progress in the Asia-Pacific". This workshop aims to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue, uniting experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore the ethical dimensions of AI and seeks to catalyze collective efforts toward responsible AI development and deployment in the region.
The full-day event took place in two venues: the University of Macau, in the morning; and UNU-IIST, in the afternoon.
[Event photo]
Agenda
Morning venue:
Library Auditorium E2-G012, University of Macau
09:00 - 9:30
Registration (Library Auditorium E2-G012, University of Macau)
09:30 - 9:50
Opening Ceremony
Opening remarks:
1. Ge Wei, Vice Rector, University of Macau
2. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia
3. Jingbo Huang, Director, UNU-IIST
09:50 - 10:00
Break and Group Photo
10:00 - 11:20
Session 1 (Public) | Showcasing UNESCO and UNU-IIST work streams on AI
Keynote Speeches:
1. Hehua Xia (Programme Assistant, UNESCO) “UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of AI”
2. JeongHyun Lee (ICTD Fellow, UNU-IIST) “Insights on the Mongolia Project”
3. Serge Stinckwich (Head of Research, UNU-IIST) “Unsustainability of LLM & ChatGPT”
4. Jaimee Stuart (Senior Researcher, UNU-IIST) “The Applications of Ethical AI in Research at UNU-IIST”
11:20 - 12:20
Session 2 (Public) | Governing AI for Sustainability: Insights and Latest Trends in AI Ethics
Keynote Speeches
1. Rostam Neuwirth (Professor, University of Macau) “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development: Arguments for Global Binding Regulation”
2. Zhengkun Hu (Director, SenseTime) “Towards Responsible and Verifiable AI”
3. Soraj Hongladarom (Research Fellow, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok) “AI Ethics from the Ground Up: Toward a New Theory of AI Ethics”
12:20 - 14:00
Lunch Break & Transportation to UNU-IIST
Afternoon venue:
UNU-IIST
14:00 - 16:00
Session 3 (Closed discussion) | AI Impact on SDGs: Pioneering Research and Methodologies
Each speaker will give 5 minutes presentation to showcase pioneering research and methodologies in AI and Sustainable Development Goals, as well as AI ethics, to explore AI’s multifaceted impact. Presentations will be followed by a 30-minute discussion.
Chair:
Nimmi Rangaswamy (Professor, Indian Institute of Information Technology)
Presenters:
1. Masaru Yarime (Associate Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) “Governing Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges in Public Policy and Institutional Development”
2. Sami Farhad (Senior Lecturer, Zhejiang University) “Passengers in Flight: Thoughts on AI Ethics and Developing Countries”
3. Weidong Ji (Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University) “Risks, Ethics and Due Process of Generative AI”
4. Gleb Papyshev (Research Assistant Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) “The State’s Role in Governing AI: Development, Control, and Promotion through National Strategies”
5. Ke Xu (Senior Researcher, Tencent) “How Tech Helps, Stories and Practices from Tencent”
6. Sun Rapid (Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia) “AI in Cambodia”
7. Jie Yin (Professor, Fudan University) “Ethical Matrix as a Context-Dependent Assessment Tool for AI”
8. Sara Migliorini (Assistant Professor, University of Macau) “‘Final Human Determination Should Apply’: Emerging Right to Opt-out from Automated Decision-making”
9. Nimmi Rangaswamy (Professor, Indian Institute of Information Technology) “Ethical Data Sets - Training the AI Machine”
10. Célia F. Matias (Assistant Professor, University of Macau) “Copyright, Culture, Creativity and Generative AI”
11. Arie Wahyu Wijayanto (Director of AI Curriculum, KORIKA) "AI Innovation and National Strategies in Indonesia"
16:00 - 16:15
Break
16:15 - 17:15
Session 4 (Closed discussion) | Fostering Synergies for Future Collaborations
Roundtable discussion on further collaboration and defining action items and responsibilities for the next steps.
Chair:
Serge Stinckwich (Head of Research, UNU-IIST)
17:15 - 17:30
Closing Remarks
