Global Courant 2023-04-30 10:25:00
TAKASAKI, JAPAN — Group of seven advanced countries must adopt “risk-based” artificial intelligence regulations, their digital ministers agreed on Sunday, as European lawmakers scramble to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI) law to make rules for emerging tools like ChatGPT to enforce .
But such regulations should also “maintain an open and enabling environment” for the development of AI technologies and be based on democratic values, G7 ministers said in a joint statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Japan.
While the ministers acknowledged that “policy tools to achieve the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may differ among G7 members,” the agreement marks a milestone for how major countries govern AI amid privacy concerns and security risks.
“The conclusions of this G7 meeting show that we are certainly not alone in this,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager told Reuters ahead of the agreement.
Governments have paid particular attention to the popularity of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI that has become the fastest growing app in history since its launch in November.
“We plan to convene future G7 discussions on generative AI, which could include topics such as governance, how to protect intellectual property rights, including copyright, promote transparency, tackle disinformation,” including information manipulation by foreign forces, it said. the ministerial statement.
Italy, a member of the G7, took ChatGPT offline last month to investigate the possible breach of personal data rules. As Italy lifted the ban on Friday, the move has inspired other European privacy regulators to launch probes.
EU lawmakers on Thursday reached a tentative agreement on a new draft of the forthcoming AI law, including copyright protection measures for generative AI, after calling on world leaders to convene a summit to control such technology.
Ms Vestager, the EU’s head of technical regulation, said the bloc “will have a political agreement this year” on AI copyright law, such as labeling obligations for AI-generated images or music.
Japan, the chairman of this year’s G7, meanwhile, has taken an accommodative approach to AI developers and pledged support for public and industry adoption of AI.
Japan hoped the G7 would reach “an agreement on agile or flexible governance, rather than preemptive, all-encompassing regulation” on AI technology, Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Friday ahead of ministerial talks.
The top technical officials of the G7 – Britain, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – met in Takasaki, a town about 100 km northwest of Tokyo, after meetings of energy ministers and Foreign Affairs this month.
Japan will host the G7 summit in Hiroshima at the end of May, where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will discuss AI rules with world leaders. REUTERS
