INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS FOR AI

Why in the news?

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a landmark resolution on the promotion of “safe, secure and trustworthy” Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.

Key highlights of the UNGA Resolution on Artificial Intelligence

• Calls for same rights at offline and online and “to govern technology rather than let it govern us”.
• Resolves to bridge the artificial intelligence and other digital divides between and within countries.
• Supports regulatory and governance approaches by encouraging Member States and stakeholders from all regions to develop safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence.
• Emphasizes on Human Rights Protection throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems.
• Encourages private sector to adhere to applicable international and domestic laws in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Calls for continued discussion on AI governance so that international approaches keep pace with the evolution of AI system, promote inclusive research, mapping and analysis etc.

Other International Regulatory frameworks for AI

• European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act: It defines 4 levels of risk for AI systems- Unacceptable risk, High-risk, Specific Transparency risk and Minimal risk.
  • Aims to ensure that rights, rule of law and environment are protected from high risk AI.
  • Aims to tackle racial and gender bias through training of AI with sufficiently representative datasets.
• China’s Model: Prompts AI tools and innovation with safeguards against any future harm to the nation’s social and economic goals
  • Focuses on content moderation, personal data protection, and algorithmic governance.
• UK’s approach: It has adopted a cross-sector and outcome-based framework for regulating AI with core principles of safety, security and robustness, transparency and accountability, and governance etc.
  • Framework has not been codified into law for now, but the government anticipates the need for targeted legislative interventions in the future.
  • Balances innovation and safety by applying the existing technology neutral regulatory framework to AI. 
  • AI & Digital Hub will be launched as a multi-regulator advisory service to help innovators navigate multiple legal and regulatory obligations.