Trudeau calls into question findings of stunning watchdog foreign interference report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
The United States is spearheading the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the new technology is "safe, secure and trustworthy" and that all countries, especially those in the developing world, have equal access.
The draft General Assembly resolution aims to close the digital divide between countries and make sure they are all at the table in discussions on AI -- and that they have the technology and capabilities to take advantage of its benefits, including detecting diseases, predicting floods and training the next generation of workers.
The draft recognizes the rapid acceleration of AI development and use and stresses "the urgency of achieving global consensus on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems." It also recognizes that "the governance of artificial intelligence systems is an evolving area" that needs further discussions on possible governance approaches.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States turned to the General Assembly "to have a truly global conversation on how to manage the implications of the fast-advancing technology of AI."
The resolution "would represent global support for a baseline set of principles for the development and use of AI and would lay out a path to leverage AI systems for good while managing the risks," he said in a statement to The Associated Press.
If approved, Sullivan said, "this resolution will be an historic step forward in fostering safe, secure and trustworthy AI worldwide."
The United States began negotiating with the 193 UN member nations about three months ago, spent hundreds of hours in direct talks with individual countries, 42 hours in negotiations and accepted input from 120 nations, a senior U.S. official said. The resolution achieved consensus support from all member states and will be formally considered later this month, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they are an important barometer of world opinion.
A key goal, according to the draft resolution, is to use AI to help spur progress toward achieving the UN's badly lagging development goals for 2030, including ending global hunger and poverty, improving health worldwide, ensuring quality secondary education for all children and achieving gender equality.
The draft resolution encourages all countries, regional and international organizations, technical communities, civil society, the media, academia, research institutions and individuals "to develop and support regulatory and governance approaches and frameworks" for safe AI systems.
Lawmakers in the European Union are set to give final approval to the world's first comprehensive AI rules on Wednesday. Countries around the world, including the U.S. and China, or global groupings like the Group of 20 industrialized nations also are moving to draw up AI regulations.
The U.S. draft calls on the 193 UN member states and others to assist developing countries to access the benefits of digital transformation and safe AI systems. It "emphasizes that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected and promoted throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems."
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield recalled President Joe Biden's address to the General Assembly last year where he said emerging technologies, including AI, hold enormous potential.
She said the resolution "aims to build international consensus on a shared approach to the design, development, deployment and use of AI systems," particularly to support the 2030 UN goals.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
Federal officials are investigating an unusual rolling motion during the flight of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max.
A lucky lotto player in the Greater Toronto Area is waking up with millions more reasons to smile this morning.
Vancouver police are warning the public that the man who stabbed a stranger in a downtown coffee shop in January 2022 has been released and will be living in the city again.
Police in Maine have canceled a shelter-in-place order in the city of Auburn after reporting that an armed person was in an area where a series of explosions and a house fire erupted early Saturday.
Britain’s interior minister on Saturday demanded an "urgent explanation" after police officers were filmed ramming a runaway cow with their car.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' personal assets but dismissed his company's separate bankruptcy case, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain as he owes US$1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
Israel's military said Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.
London put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.
Fancy Pokket owner Mike Timani has decided to create a 220-foot long flat bread to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
If certain goals that are in the Paris Climate Accord aren't met, the existence of polar bears in the Hudson Bay may come to an end.
In an attempt to invite one of the most popular recording artists in the world to the land of living skies – the City of Swift Current has offered to rename itself in honour of Taylor Swift.
More than a dozen dogs arrived by Cargojet early Thursday morning to the People for Animal Wellbeing Shelter to find a permanent place to call home in New Brunswick.
Peggy's Cove, N.S., is one of the most famous locations in the Maritimes. Recent visitors were treated to more than just the iconic landmark.
Hundreds of fans lined up to meet the Trailer Park Boys in Dartmouth, N.S., Tuesday, as Ricky, Bubbles and Julian promoted their new brand of potato chips.
Car break-ins plague Canadians across the country, but instead of worrying about theft, a northern Ontario woman is cleaning up a big mess that she says will not be covered by insurance after a black bear broke into her Honda Civic and took a nap.
Members of a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta have potentially built the world's tallest structure made of Popsicle sticks.
A dog who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life suffering and almost a year at a shelter has found his forever home, according to the BC SPCA.