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Artificial Intelligence for Social Good Forum

Organised by United Nations ESCAP, APRU and Google

in collaboration with Keio University

United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, 20 February 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionise how we live, how we work and how we interact.  It will reshape economic sectors and jobs and enhance the possibilities for increased productivity. The application of artificial intelligence can also help address social and environmental concerns.

While the AI research ecosystem is growing, there is still limited research into how AI can positively transform economies and societies, and supporting the achievement of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. There is also limited understanding of what public policies and governance frameworks would be most conducive to achieving this transformational impact while also addressing risks and concerns, such as bias, fairness, safety, explainability or accountability.

The challenge for policymakers is deciding how to best develop capabilities in AI to address development priorities while ensuring good governance. Critical concerns for policymakers are:

Enabling environment:

• How can we enable access to needed AI inputs (including data, computing power)?

• How can governments develop the necessary knowledge and skills on AI (both expertise and for the general public)?

Governance:

• How to make sure that the AI benefits are shared widely across society?

• Multi-stakeholder governance - How can we bring all stakeholders into AI governance? What institutions and processes are needed?

• Co-regulation - How can we build from and spread responsible development norms and codes of practice to guide those developing and utilizing AI?

• Accountability and consumer engagement - What are the promising approaches for ensuring AI accountability and providing those engaged with AI the information and context they need?

• Regulation - How can we address major concerns like autonomous lethal weapons, surveillance, liability, etc. at both the domestic and international levels?

The forum will discuss these dilemmas through presentations and panel discussions with policymakers, government officials and scientific advisors from countries in the Asia-Pacific region; international and regional experts; and global private firms investing in artificial intelligence.

The forum is addressed to senior government officials from the Asia–Pacific region making decisions on developing capacities in and guiding the governance of AI. These include senior officials and representatives from the ministries of finance, science, technology and innovation, and industry; as well as from national research councils, public research institutions and innovation agencies.

This public forum will share some of the research and also inform the work that United Nations ESCAP APRU and Google and Keio University have been supporting over the past 18 months.

The forum is part of the AI for Social Good Network of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on STI Policy (ARTNET on STI Policy).

EVENT PROGRAMME.pdf - Updated: 05-Feb-2020

For further information, please contact:

APRU: Ms. Christina Schönleber, Director for Policy & Programs, APRU (christina.schoenleber@apru.org)

ESCAP: Ms. Marta Pérez Cusó, Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations ESCAP (marta.perezcuso@un.org, tel. +6622881666)