IBSA Calls for Human-Centric, Ethical Use of Emerging Technologies

In the face of the malicious use of AI and threat posed to people’s jobs by increasing digitalisation, the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa have called for the judicious use of emerging technologies. In this connection, they have stressed on the importance of the UN Summit of the Future that will be held later this year and the proposed Global Digital Compact, writes ETV Bharat’s Aroonim Bhuyan.

New Delhi: With Artificial Intelligence (AI) being used as a weapon to spread disinformation campaigns and increasing digitalisation threatening people's jobs, the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) have called for human-centric, responsible and ethical use of emerging technologies.

"The ministers emphasised the goal of improving people's lives and bridging the digital divides, in line with the consensus reached during the World Summits of the Information Society (WSIS), by achieving a human-centered, inclusive, and ethical approach to the responsible development, deployment and use of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)," a joint declaration issued following a standalone meeting of the IBSA foreign ministers held on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week stated.

The standalone meeting was attended by India's Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira and South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Grace Naledi Pandor.

"In that sense, they stressed the opportunity that the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future can give direction towards enhanced global digital governance that is effective, inclusive and fair, provided that the proposed Global Digital Compact (GDC), to be agreed upon during the Summit, creates mechanisms to ensure that all countries benefit from the ongoing technological revolution," the declaration stated.

The use of AI in spreading disinformation campaigns is a growing concern. While AI itself is not inherently malicious, it can be exploited by individuals or groups with malicious intent to create and disseminate false information more effectively. Automated content creation, social media manipulation, personalised targeting, algorithmic manipulation, chatbots and conversational agents and deepfakes are some of the ways of using AI in disinformation campaigns.

So, what is WSIS and what were the key outcomes and consensus reached?

The WSIS is a series of UN conferences and summits that aim to address the challenges and opportunities of the information society. The summit has been held in two phases: the first phase took place in Geneva in 2003, and the second phase in Tunis in 2005. The WSIS aimed to bridge the digital divide, promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development, and address various issues related to the information society. There were several key outcomes of the WSIS and consensus was reached on how to deal with the challenges posed by an increasingly digitalised world.

The Geneva Declaration of Principles, adopted in 2003, outlined a set of principles related to the information society. These principles covered areas such as the role of ICTs in development, the importance of freedom of expression, and the need to address the digital divide. The 2003 summit also produced the Geneva Plan of Action, which detailed specific steps and initiatives to be taken at the national and international levels to achieve the goals set out in the Declaration of Principles. It covered issues such as infrastructure development, capacity building, and the promotion of ICTs in various sectors.

The Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, adopted in 2005, provided a framework for the implementation of the WSIS outcomes. It established the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to facilitate discussions on internet-related issues, and it called for continued efforts to bridge the digital divide and promote the use of ICTs for sustainable development. The summit affirmed the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, involving governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organisations in decision-making processes related to the internet.

The WSIS also recognised the importance of cultural diversity in the information society and emphasised the ethical dimensions of the use of ICTs. It aimed to ensure that the benefits of the information society were shared by all, and that the potential negative impacts were mitigated.

The WSIS outcomes continue to influence global discussions on the role of ICTs in development, internet governance, and the broader implications of the information society. While progress has been made, challenges such as cybersecurity, privacy, and ensuring universal access to ICTs remain ongoing concerns in the evolving digital landscape.

What is the United Nations Summit of the Future?

In June 2020, the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations was commemorated with a declaration from Member States. This declaration outlined 12 overarching commitments and urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide recommendations addressing both current and future challenges. Responding to this, in September 2021, the Secretary-General released the report titled 'Our Common Agenda'. This report served as a wake-up call, emphasising the need to accelerate the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDHs) and fulfill the commitments outlined in the UN75 Declaration.

The report identified gaps that had emerged since 2015, some of which required new intergovernmental agreements. Consequently, it proposed the convening of a Summit of the Future to establish a new global consensus, preparing for a future marked by risks and opportunities. The General Assembly appreciated the report as "rich and substantive" and agreed to schedule the Summit for September 22-23, 2024. Anticipated to be action-oriented, a Pact for the Future is also expected to be agreed upon by member states through intergovernmental negotiations, addressing issues they collectively choose to prioritise.

What is the proposed Global Digital Compact?

The GDC is an initiative proposed in the Secretary-General Guterres’s Common Agenda. The objective of this compact is to ensure that digital technologies are used responsibly and for the benefit of all, while addressing the digital divide and fostering a safe and inclusive digital environment. The GDC seeks to foster collaboration among governments, private sector entities, civil society organisations, and various stakeholders. This collaborative effort is centered around a set of shared principles and commitments, encompassing several critical aspects. These include connectivity, internet fragmentation, data protection, human rights online, AI regulation and digital commons.

In terms of connectivity, the GDC will aim at ensuring universal access to the internet and digital tools for all, including schools, to promote connectivity and socio-economic well-being. Coming to internet fragmentation, it will strive to prevent the division and fragmentation of the internet, thereby maintaining a unified global digital space.

For data protection, the GDC will aim at offering individuals choices regarding the use of their data and guaranteeing the protection of their privacy. Applying human rights principles in the digital realm, including safeguarding freedom of expression, privacy, and protection against discrimination and misleading content is another key aspect.

The GDC is also expected to advocate for the ethical development and use of AI in alignment with universally shared values. In terms of digital commons, it will seek to acknowledge digital technologies as a global public good and encourage their development and utilisation for the collective benefit of all.

"Regarding both the GDC and the WSIS+20 revision process as opportunities to consolidate and update the development perspective enshrined in Geneva and Tunis and to discuss innovative multilateral and multi-stakeholder arrangements, leading to collective action and effective global digital governance, the Ministers reaffirmed IBSA’s commitment to ensure, in different international forums, that emerging technology solutions, including for Artificial Intelligence, are to be developed, deployed and used in a human centric, responsible and ethical way, with a view to minimise the risks arising from these technologies, especially for developing countries, such as, but not limited to, potential negative impacts on the job market and the proliferation of AI enhanced disinformation campaigns," the IBSA foreign ministers’ joint declaration further stated.

According to the statement, the Ministers look forward to the diplomatic conference to be organised by WIPO in May 2024 on intellectual property, genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

"They expect that the conference will reach an internationally binding legal instrument establishing a minimum standard for the protection of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge," it stated. "The Ministers share the understanding that this protection under the intellectual property system provides an important contribution towards achieving a balanced protection for scientific and technological innovation on one hand and sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and the human rights of traditional communities on the other."

What is the WSIS+20 revision process?

The WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event represents a significant milestone, marking two decades of progress in implementing the outcomes of the World WSIS held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005. Two decades ago, WSIS established the framework for global digital cooperation, envisioning the creation of people-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented information and knowledge societies.

Scheduled from May 27 to 31, 2024, the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event is being co-organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD, with co-hosting by ITU and the Swiss Confederation, and support for remote participation. This event will serve as a pivotal platform for multi-stakeholder discussions, aiming to assess achievements, key trends, challenges, and opportunities since the inception of the Geneva Plan of Action in 2003.

What is the WIPO diplomatic conference all about?

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) will host the Diplomatic Conference to conclude an international legal instrument relating to intellectual property, genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources at its Geneva headquarters from May 13 to 24, 2024. The Diplomatic Conference represents the final stage of negotiations before the adoption of an international legal instrument.

The future instrument aims to enhance the efficacy, transparency, and quality of the patent system, and prevent patents from being granted erroneously for inventions that are not novel or inventive with regard to genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources.

The proposal at the heart of the 2024 Diplomatic Conference is that applicants seeking patents for inventions that are based on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge should disclose certain additional information as part of the patent application. This includes information about the source or origin of the genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

Furthermore, the basic proposal recommends the potential establishment of databases containing information about genetic resources and traditional knowledge. These databases could be made available to patent examiners, aiming to mitigate the likelihood of patents being mistakenly granted.