Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

The widespread use of AI applications can have positive and negative effects. For instance, they can simplify our daily lives, detect diseases at an early stage and monitor biodiversity more effectively. However, they may also be used for purposes that are unacceptable from ethical and human rights perspectives. This includes suppressing diversity of opinion and discriminating against minorities.

In November 2021, the UNESCO member states adopted the first international legal text on the ethical development and use of AI: The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial IntelligenceExternal link:. The text establishes a clear ethical framework for current and future AI applications and sets out goals and guidelines for UNESCO member state governments to ensure ethical AI development and use in eleven policy areas, including education, culture, communication, work, and health.

Promoting a global exchange on ethical AI

Technologies such as artificial intelligence do not stop at national borders. AI systems developed in countries such as the USA and China, for instance, are used worldwide. The UNESCO Recommendation establishes fundamental global ethical standards for AI that countries agree to uphold. However, poorer states and countries with weak governance structures often lack the means to ensure compliance with these standards. The German Commission for UNESCO is therefore also committed to achieving greater global fairness in AI. In addition to elevating the consciousness of German stakeholders with regard to matters of global justice in the development and utilisation of AI, the emphasis is placed on the exchange of perspectives with other National Commissions for UNESCO on the subject of AI ethics.