STATEMENT ON AI SAFETY SUMMIT

 The UK's AI Safety Summit stands as a pivotal milestone in the ongoing global dialogue surrounding artificial intelligence, with profound implications for humanity, ethics, and equity The Summit saw the world’s AI powers agree on the urgency behind understanding and countering the risks of AI.

As we navigate the ever-expanding frontiers of AI technology, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that these advancements benefit humanity.

From the humanitarianism perspective, the AI Safety Summit underscored the potential for AI to address some of our most pressing global challenges, from healthcare to education and poverty alleviation. AI can enhance medical diagnoses, optimize resource management, and provide new opportunities for learning and economic empowerment. However, this potential can only be realized if we prioritize the responsible and equitable deployment of AI technologies.

Ethics play a central role in this discussion. The AI Safety Summit provided an opportunity to emphasize the importance of ethical considerations in in development, integration, and usage of AI capabilities. We must ensure that AI systems are designed and used in ways that respect human values, privacy, and fundamental rights. Moreover, we must guard against the potential biases and discrimination that can emerge in AI algorithms, striving for fairness, transparency and accountability in all AI applications.

The theme of equality at the AI Safety Summit was a critical one; which recognized the crucial role of AI in addressing inequities. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, we must confront the risk of exacerbating existing social and economic disparities. It is essential that AI technologies do not reinforce inequity but, instead, foster inclusive and accessible opportunities. To achieve this, it is necessary to provide equal access to AI opportunities.

Moving forward, issues such as bias in AI algorithms, data privacy, and the potential misuse of AI technologies should be central to the conversation.

As more and more people are able to benefit from AI capabilities, we believe that it is critical that awareness around how AI works is improved across society at large. This will equip people with the knowledge to more confidently leverage AI capabilities and to counter some of the risks around AI outlined above. As AI is poised to have broad impact throughout the workforce, it is therefore important that everyone has easy access to affordable skilling opportunities in the area of AI.

However, not everyone has access to these AI capabilities or the benefits that they offer. We strongly support the idea of AI localization that embraces and celebrates the rich diversity of our communities. The goal is to ensure equitable access and opportunities while upholding the highest ethical standards. AI localization is not just a matter of language and cultural sensitivity; it should empower, rather than exclude, our voices. It should be a catalyst for innovation and economic growth within our regions, providing a platform for our communities to thrive. Localization should be a tool for fairness and inclusivity, not division. “As we look ahead, I eagerly anticipate an AI-enabled world where the power of authentic, community-driven data from the very communities we serve drives progress.” adds Elizabeth Njoroge, WHF’s Tech4Good Programming Board Co-Chair and International ICT Business Partner at Christian Aid.

WHF outlines two key areas for immediate action based on this Summit:

1. Existing threats should be addressed related to the release of powerful AI models which currently lack sufficient guardrails and oversight. It is essential to develop ethical guidelines that can guide the responsible use of AI and protect individual rights and values. The global oversight of emerging AI technology should be based on the universal human rights principles and ensure full respect for them.

2. Addressing digital divide and AI equity. WHF expresses concerns about the long-term negative consequences of AI, primarily its impact on humanity ranging from biased algorithms to the geopolitical tensions arising from the concentration of AI corporations in just a handful of countries. In the absence of immediate action, AI will exacerbate inequities that are already growing wider.

“At WHF, we value the nexus of AI, people, and the planet. It represents a dynamic and intricate relationship that holds great promise and significant responsibilities for humanity. AI has the potential to be a powerful force for positive change in our efforts to revolutionise current system that is failing humanity while it also requires ethical and equity considerations. We are a platform of action; and we will be defining our protocol of action on AI from humanitarianism lens not only for our community but for all future generations to come.” says Feraye Ozfescioglu, Chief Executive of WHF.

In conclusion, while we welcome the signed agreement and the highlight on international cooperation at the Summit as an important first step in vital AI dialogue, the protocol of action on the key areas above remains not as a risk but as a reality.