
European Union and the United States on Wednesday said they expect a draft code of conduct on Artificial Intelligence (AI) might be released “within weeks”, adding that they are hopeful fellow democracies and like-minded nations will subscribe to it.
The voluntary code “would be open to all like-minded countries,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after having discussions with EU officials in Sweden.
“There’s almost always a gap when new technologies emerge,” Blinken said, adding that there was time “for governments and institutions to figure out how to legislate or regulate.”
European Commission Vice President and tech chief Margrethe Vestager said the draft could be drawn up within weeks. She said, “We think it’s really important that citizens can see that democracies can deliver.” She voiced hope “to do that in the broadest possible circle — with our friends in Canada, in the UK, in Japan, in India, bringing as many onboard as possible.”
India has emerged as a major player in the AI space globally, housing more than 1,500 AI-based start-ups with a funding of over $ 4 billion.
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Both EU and US said their approach towards AI was “risk-based” and they were committed “to advance trustworthy and responsible AI technologies”.
While the draft regulations are expected to be drawn within weeks from now, they are not expected to enter into force until 2025. There is also a sense of urgency among Western powers due to rising threats from China. The communist country has made rapid progress in the AI arena and has demonstrated a willingness to export its authoritarian designs to its hardcore allies. The West fears that Beijing may set global AI standards without keeping it in the loop.
Earlier, G7 nations also called for the development of technical standards to regulate Artificial Intelligence. EU believes the West must take the lead in setting the standards and establishing a global consensus. "If the two of us take the lead with close friends, I think we can push something that will make us all much more comfortable with the fact that generative AI is now in the world and is developing at amazing speeds," Vestager was quoted as saying by Reuters.
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