The Institute of AI is calling for greater international cooperation regarding the regulation of COVID-19 tracing mobile applications and their potential continued use in countries after the pandemic is under control.
The call follows a series of high-level roundtables, hosted by the Institute of AI, with politicians from across the world, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Australia and the USA.
Darren Jones MP, Chairman of the Institute of AI, said:
“The global threat posed by COVID-19 means each country is adopting new technologies and applying artificial intelligence in different ways: improving public health responses, tracing infections and advancing vaccine research and development. While many of these developments are welcome, some will have been put into place at speed without proper legislative oversight. At the Institute of AI, our global network of legislators wish to learn from each other about the approaches taken in different parts of the world and ensure appropriate measures are in place in our countries for the future.”
Emma Wright, Director of the Institute of AI, commented:
“The development of COVID-19 tracing mobile applications, and the use of artificial intelligence, raises multiple questions around efficacy, privacy and discrimination. As we tackle the pandemic, and face these questions, sharing lessons learned from different countries will become increasingly important. We are hosting global roundtables because we believe there is a need for greater international discussion and cooperation on the regulation of artificial intelligence, especially at a time the impact of geo-politics on technology policy risks creating friction instead of cooperation between countries.”
The Institute of AI hosted Chatham House roundtables on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 May 2020. Key themes of the discussion included ethics and AI, the balance of power between the state and the private sector, the scope of apps, transparency and communication, utility and effectiveness, integration and international collaboration, privacy and trust, data use, legislation and Parliamentary oversight, bias and discrimination, digital access and literacy, policy beyond the apps and the long-term, post-pandemic implications.
A public webinar, hosted by the Institute of AI, will be held in the coming weeks to engage more people in this global debate.
The Institute of AI is a global, cross party, non-profit working with legislators from across the world to better understand the impact and regulation of Artificial Intelligence. Working in partnership with existing multi-lateral organisations, the Institute is uniquely placed due to its growing network of the best placed legislators from across the world.
The Institute brings legislators together to understand the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the regulatory approaches being taken in different countries. The organisation does this by hosting discussions with legislators, analysing global trends in AI regulation and sharing this with its extensive network. The Institute also plans to provide travel scholarships to legislators to join multi-lateral briefings and debates at the OECD in Paris once the pandemic is under control.
