Urgent need for global approach on AI regulation: UN tech chief
The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top tech chief said, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, told AFP she hoped that AI 'can actually benefit humanity'.
But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology -- including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation, and society's fabric fraying -- she insisted that regulation was key.
'There's an urgency to try to get... the right framework in place,' she said, stressing the need for 'a global approach'.
Her comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump last week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI.Among more than 90 proposals, Trump's plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to 'remove red tape and onerous regulation' that could hinder private sector AI
development.
Asked if she had concerns about an approach that urges less, not more, regulation of AI technologies, Bogdan-Martin refrained from commenting, saying she was 'still trying to digest' the U.S. plan.'I think there are different approaches,' she said.'We have the EU approach. We have the Chinese approach. Now we're seeing the U.S. approach. I think what's needed is for those approaches to dialogue,' she said.
At the same time, she highlighted that '85 percent of countries don't yet have AI policies or strategies'.A consistent theme among those strategies that do exist is the focus on innovation, capacity building and infrastructure investments, Bogdan-Martin said.
'But where I think the debate still needs to happen at a global level is trying to figure out how much regulation, how little regulation, is needed,' she said.
Bogdan-Martin, who grew up in New Jersey and has spent most of her more than three-decade career at the ITU, insisted the Geneva-based telecoms agency that sets standards for new technologies was well-placed to help facilitate much-needed dialogue on the issue.'The need for a global approach I think is critical,' she said, cautioning that 'fragmented approaches will not help serve and reach all'.
As countries and companies sprint to cement their dominance in the booming sector, there are concerns that precautions could be thrown to the wind -- and that those who lose the race or do not have the capacity to participate will be left behind.
The ITU chief hailed 'mind-blowing' advances within artificial intelligence, with the potential to improve everything from education to agriculture to health care -- but insisted the benefits must be shared.
Without a concerted effort, there is a risk that AI will end up standing for 'advancing inequalities', she warned, cautioning against deepening an already dire digital divide worldwide.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
China summons Nvidia over ‘serious security issues' with AI chips
Agencies Chinese authorities summoned Nvidia representatives on Thursday to discuss 'serious security issues' over some of its artificial intelligence chips, as the US tech giant finds itself entangled in trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Nvidia is a world-leading producer of AI semiconductors, but the United States effectively restricts which chips it can export to China on national security grounds. A key issue has been Chinese access to the 'H20', a less powerful version of Nvidia's AI processing units that the company developed specifically for export to China. The California-based firm said this month it would resume H20 sales to China after Washington pledged to remove licensing curbs that had halted exports. But the firm still faces obstacles—US lawmakers have proposed plans to require Nvidia and other manufacturers of advanced AI chips to include built-in location tracking capabilities. And Beijing's top internet regulator said Thursday it had summoned Nvidia representatives to discuss recently discovered 'serious security issues' involving the H20. The Cyberspace Administration of China said it had asked Nvidia to 'explain the security risks of vulnerabilities and backdoors in its H20 chips sold to China and submit relevant supporting materials'. The statement posted on social media noted that, according to US experts, location tracking and remote shutdown technologies for Nvidia chips 'are already matured'. The announcement marked the latest complication for Nvidia in selling its advanced products in the key Chinese market, where it is in increasingly fierce competition with homegrown technology firms. CEO Jensen Huang said during a closely watched visit to Beijing this month that his firm remained committed to serving local customers. Huang said he had been assured during talks with top Chinese officials during the trip that the country was 'open and stable'. 'They want to know that Nvidia continues to invest here, that we are still doing our best to serve the market here,' he said. Nvidia this month became the first company to hit $4 trillion in market value—a new milestone in Wall Street's bet that AI will transform the global economy. Jost Wubbeke of the Sinolytics consultancy told AFP the move by China to summon Nvidia was 'not surprising in the sense that targeting individual US companies has become a common tool in the context of US-China tensions'. 'What is surprising, however, is the timing,' he noted, after the two countries agreed to further talks to extend their trade truce. 'China's action may signal a shift toward a more assertive stance,' Wubbeke said. Beijing is also aiming to reduce reliance on foreign tech by promoting Huawei's domestically developed 910C chip as an alternative to the H20, he added. 'From that perspective, the US decision to allow renewed exports of the H20 to China could be seen as counterproductive, as it might tempt Chinese hyperscalers to revert to the H20, potentially undermining momentum behind the 910C and other domestic alternatives.' New hurdles to Nvidia's operation in China come as the country's economy wavers, beset by a years-long property sector crisis and heightened trade headwinds under US President Donald Trump. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the country to enhance self-reliance in certain areas deemed vital for national security—including AI and semiconductors—as tensions with Washington mount.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Apple profit beats 2nd quarter forecasts on solid iPhone sales
Agencies Apple reported quarterly profit of $23.4 billion, topping forecasts despite concerns about the effect of US tariffs on its supply chain. Revenue was $94 billion for the usually slow quarter ending in June, the iPhone maker said. 'Apple is proud to report a June quarter revenue record with double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac and Services and growth around the world, in every geographic segment,' said Apple chief executive Tim Cook. Apple shares were up more than two percent in after-market trading. Revenue from iPhone sales during the quarter was $44.6 billion, compared with $39.3 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Apple. Global shipments of smartphones fell marginally to 288.9 million units in the recently-ended quarter, according to market-tracker Canalys. Samsung was the largest vendor, shipping 57.5 million smartphones, while Apple finished second with iPhone shipments down two percent at 44.8 million units, Canalys reported. 'Apple's performance showed strong resilience amid fierce competition in China and an inventory correction in the US as it adjusted to the rapidly changing tariffs,' the market tracker said in its findings. Cook said that the Trump tariffs cost Apple $800 million in the quarter that just ended and are expected to cost the iPhone maker $1.1 billion in the current quarter. 'Assuming the current global tariff rates, policies, and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter, and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add about $1.1 billion to our costs,' Cook said. Tariffs are essentially a tax paid by those importing goods to the United States. This means Apple is on the hook for tariffs on iPhones and other products or components it brings into the country from abroad. Cook said that most iPhones sold in the United States now come from India as Apple works to navigate US President Donald Trump's trade war with China. Trump has taken aim at India with a 25 percent duty to begin Friday — slightly lower than previously threatened — after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact. Apple's tariff cost is up because sales are up, according to Cook. 'In terms of what we do to mitigate, we obviously try to optimize our our supply chain,' Cook said of managing the tariff hit. 'Ultimately, we will do more in the United States; we've committed $500 billion investment in the US over the next four years.' Tit-for-tat exchanges have seen hefty US levies imposed on China, with Beijing setting retaliatory barriers on US imports. Sales of iPhones in mainland China were $15.4 billion in the quarter, compared with $14.7 billion in the same period a year ago, according to Apple. Revenue in Apple's services business selling digital content and subscriptions to fans of its devices grew to $27.4 billion in the quarter, Apple reported. 'The results show that Apple's iPhone strategy is working to offset the impact of looming challenges with AI development timelines, tariff pressures, and Google's antitrust issues,' said Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne. 'The company's successful pivot to iPhone manufacturing in India, demonstrates supply chain flexibility, while its return to iPhone growth in China and continued services segment expansion, including deeper financial services offerings, show diversification beyond hardware.'
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
AI-powered metahumans driving Indonesia's digital transformation
Agencies Indonesia is already a leader in digital adoption, but a bunch of companies in the Southeast Asian nation are rapidly deploying a new ally--the metahuman--as they try to reach out to their audiences and customers. Experts believe the attention AI and metahumans are gaining in the wider marketing sector could pave the way for expanding digital literacy and digital adoption across the country. In Indonesia's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence for 2020-2045, the government identified talent development and industrial research and innovation as two of the four key focus areas. In line with the government's AI push, innovations such as AI-infused metahumans--computer-generated avatars designed to exist in virtual reality--have been given roles in several industries, and they are taking the influencer marketing space by storm. There are various possibilities for Indonesian businesses in terms of metahuman integration, as showcased by Jakarta-based metahuman creator Genexyz, which created Laverda Salsabila, dubbed the world's first virtual endorser with real-life deals. The company has partnered with some of the biggest Indonesian brands for metahuman influencers, including Tokopedia, Pepsodent and Ismaya Group. Earlier this month, it secured $1 million in seed funding from investors, including East Ventures. In the private sector, some news and entertainment segments have already shown how metahumans can be incorporated into regular operations. For instance, tvOne unveiled digital news anchor Nadira and another metahuman earlier this year. Nadira is based on the mainstream network's real-life news anchor Fahada Indi. Another virtual avatar, Kiki, was developed by Jam3 and Japanese public broadcaster NHK Enterprises. Kiki, which was designed to serve the country's deaf community, generates full Japanese Sign Language dynamic interpretations from text input. A metahuman 'immensely expands the possibilities for creators, but also for brands to personify themselves (or the brand) in new worlds and on new platforms, which they normally wouldn't be active on,' Funs Jacobs, senior director of innovation at marketing and advertising company told International Business Times. Integrating AI with digital avatars brings metahumans to life, especially if a digital avatar is well-trained by hours of a creator's own content, he said. Furthermore, generative AI integration can allow for 'hyper-personalization' of a metahuman that can interact with a creator's community. An example of a hyper-personalized experience with AI and metahumans is singer The Weeknd's 'Alone With Me' project in 2020. A lifelike version of the singer greets fans using Spotify accounts at the immersive microsite. The Weekend's virtual counterpart was able to send thousands of personalized videos to fans within hours. The experience demonstrates how AI-infused metahumans are 'democratizing creativity,' Jacobs said. Influencers and content creators have had challenges related to multitasking, such as going live on multiple platforms and responding to live chats. With an AI-powered metahuman, influencers can get some of the pressure off. Jacobs said he sees a future world where consumers and brands will have a lot of interactions with AI-fueled metahumans instead of with chatbots, automated helpdesks and FAQs that 'never work as you like them to.' Outside its role of improving influencers' efficiency, metahumans may also play a major role in bridging the gap of digital literacy between large corporations and smaller businesses in Indonesia, Kartina Sury, strategic marketing expert and senior fellow at think tank the Center of Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) said. 'The more important use of metahumans in this early time is to drive digital literacy for better business results at the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprise) level,' she said. While it is fascinating to see the vast growth of Indonesia's digital space as propelled by the pandemic, Sury noted that digital adoption levels still vary across huge corporations and MSMEs. Metahuman integration into businesses, especially in the services sector, may help improve digital literacy among smaller players in various industries and encourage further digital adoption. Despite promising possibilities, there are concerns about AI and metahumans possibly replacing real human jobs. To offset the potential threat to human jobs, employers should invest in training workers to be knowledgeable in using the technology, Sury said. On the part of workers, it's crucial to 'empower' oneself by being open to tech developments that could help enhance efficiency and save time on tasks that can otherwise be automated, Jacobs said. Indonesia still has digital literacy hurdles to overcome before it can fully adopt high technology such as AI and metahumans, but a 2018 study by Forrester Consulting on behalf of AI software company Appier found that Indonesia leads the Asia Pacific in AI implementation. Indonesia's AI adoption is propelled by the country's booming digital economy and expansive internet penetration. Last month, experts said that Indonesia has the 'most potential' in the ASEAN region's digital economy.
