Technology and Science16 September, 20262 min read
UNESCO And Saudi Arabia Open 4th AI Ethics Forum In Riyadh, Urge Practical Governance
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The 4th UNESCO AI Ethics Forum opened in Riyadh, focusing on practical governance. A joint statement was issued by Saudi Arabia, UNESCO, and ICAIRE at the forum.
Riyadh Forum Opens
The 4th Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence opened in Riyadh on Tuesday, with delegates discussing aligning AI development with safety and responsibility requirements as the forum runs until Thursday.
UNESCO Deputy Director-General Asa Regner said at the opening ceremony, "AI is advancing at unprecedented speed, while governance struggles to keep pace," and she stressed the need for stronger global cooperation and equitable participation in AI governance.
The forum is co-hosted by UNESCO and Saudi Arabia, and it brings together government officials, representatives of technology firms, experts, and researchers to explore how to turn AI ethical principles into practical implementation.
Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, president of the Saudi Data and AI Authority, said countries should pursue AI governance based on common principles while tailoring policies to national priorities and cultural contexts, adding, "We need to work together, turn shared principles into action and make AI governance inclusive, accountable and people centered."
Joint Statement and Capacity
A joint international statement was issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNESCO, and the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) following a closed ministerial meeting held in Riyadh during the forum’s 4th edition. The statement said international cooperation is needed so that the development, deployment and utilization of AI contribute to human well-being, sustainable development and the common good, and it reaffirmed the importance of adhering to UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as a global benchmark.
Algerian Minister of Post and Telecommunications Sid Ali Zerrouki called for closing the global capability gap in artificial intelligence and reinforcing national sovereignty, warning, "if this concentration persists, many countries will participate in governance while remaining structurally dependent on decisions made elsewhere." Zerrouki said sovereignty in this field "does not mean technological isolation, but rather possessing sufficient national capacity to understand, evaluate, govern, and progressively develop the systems upon which our economies, public administrations, and societies rely."
Training, Inclusion, and Stakes
UNESCO Deputy Director General Åsa Regnér said during the opening of UNESCO's Fourth Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Riyadh that the world is at "a decisive moment" because artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace while governance and regulatory frameworks struggle to keep up.
“Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace, perhaps faster than it should be, while governance struggles to keep up with it.”
Regnér added that "109 countries have begun implementing UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" and that UNESCO’s AI readiness assessment methodology is being applied in 78 countries, while Saudi Arabia completed UNESCO's AI readiness assessment process last year.
She also warned that "a lot of money, and a lot of power, are concentrated in the hands of a few," and she said women represent only 26 percent of workers in the fields of data and artificial intelligence.
The Saudi Gazette reported that Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi said Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the fourth edition reflects the Kingdom's commitment to developing artificial intelligence as a driver of progress, competitiveness, and human development, and he said the forum will run through September 17 under the theme "Transforming Global Cooperation for Ethical AI Governance."