G7 leaders call for ‘responsible’ use of generative Artificial Intelligence, set up ‘Hiroshima Process’

World leaders, during the G7 Summit held in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday (May 20th) emphasised the urgent need to assess the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI). They announced their plans to initiate discussions this year on the responsible use of this technology and establish a working group to address various issues related to it.

Governments worldwide are facing pressure to swiftly address the risks associated with generative AI. This week, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT, testified before a US Senate panel and stressed the necessity of regulating AI. G7 leaders acknowledged the increasing prominence of generative AI across countries and sectors and emphasised the need to assess its opportunities and challenges.

"We recognise the need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI, which is increasingly prominent across countries and sectors," said the G7 in a statement.

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The G7 statement outlined plans regarding the establishment of the Hiroshima AI process.

"We task relevant ministers to establish the Hiroshima AI process, through a G7 working group, in an inclusive manner... for discussions on generative AI by the end of this year."

"These discussions could include topics such as governance, safeguard of intellectual property rights including copyrights, promotion of transparency, response to foreign information manipulation, including disinformation, and responsible utilisation of these technologies," said the statement.

The new working group, as per an AFP report, will collaborate with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). This month, the European Parliament also took steps towards EU-wide regulation of AI systems, including ChatGPT, with the aim of adopting a final law after negotiations with member states.

Speaking before a US Senate Panel on Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified that while generative AI has the potential to address significant challenges, such as climate change and cancer treatment, its increasing power necessitates regulatory intervention by governments.

"We think that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models," he said.

The G7 emphasised that the governance of new digital technologies, including AI and immersive metaverses, should align with shared democratic values.Among others, these values include fairness, respect for privacy and protection from online harassment, hate and abuse,it added.

Generative AI, which encompasses text generation tools like ChatGPT, AI-generated images, and music composed using AI, has in recent days sparked a range of reactions, from delight to alarm and legal disputes. Creators have accused these tools of utilising their materials without permission, leading to copyright concerns.

(With inputs from agencies)

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