Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

AI's global rise: Experts urge democratic tech and common standards


Alkesh Sharma
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Democratisation of artificial intelligence technology and the establishment of “common standards” for both large and small players are required to ensure that the sector is regulated, experts told a World Economic Forum session on Thursday.

This will help authorities identify deepfakes and other AI-related perils at an advanced stage and promptly hold the culprits accountable, they added.

“It is just unsustainable, impractical and infeasible to cleave to the view that only a handful of west coast companies with enough GPU [graphics processing unit] capacity, enough deep pockets and enough access to data can run this foundational technology,” Nick Clegg, president for global affairs at Meta, told the “Hard power of AI” session.

Nick Clegg, president for global affairs at Meta, speaks during the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Thursday. AP
Nick Clegg, president for global affairs at Meta, speaks during the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Thursday. AP

“We are an advocate of open source to democratise this technology … [we need] common standards on how to identify [deepfakes] … basically what's called invisible watermarking in the images and videos that can be generated by generative AI tools. That does not exist at the moment.”

Worldwide, the AI industry is booming.

Investors have put more than $4.2 billion into generative AI start-ups in 2021 and 2022 through 215 deals after interest surged in 2019, recent data from CB Insights showed.

Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025 and could possibly have a bigger impact on gross domestic product, Goldman Sachs Economic Research said in a report in August.

But despite a meteoric rise of AI industry, authorities have been scrambling to regulate the sector as new innovations in AI continue to outpace existing guidelines.

“I hear audios of politicians that are clearly fake, but people believe them," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.

"Fast detection is going to be really important so that we can find out where it is coming from. The platforms have a huge responsibility to take down [fake] content and take it down quickly.

“Also, people and societies have to adapt this new technology. That will happen anyway … [whenever] there's a new technology people learn how to live with it.”

But Mr Varadkar said he is very optimistic about AI’s “extraordinary” future potential and people should not worried by the reports of many traditional jobs disappearing.

“History tells us that any time there was a technological advancement, people believe it will eliminate jobs," he said.

"What usually happens is that some jobs become obsolete and new forms of employment are created.”

Last month, the EU became the first major governing body to enact major AI legislation with the Artificial Intelligence Act, stipulating what can and cannot be done, and announcing fines of up to more than €35 million ($38.4 million) for non-compliance.

The new law is the culmination of efforts by the EU after it released the first draft of its rule book in 2021, allowing it to take the early lead in safety standards for the technology.

“The European Union is definitely the first institution who tries to categorise the risks of AI and from these risks there are certain things that have to be done,” said Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Austrian Chancellery.

"AI is a very powerful technology and we [also] see a lot of downsides emerging from it.

“We need global rules and in an ideal world we can agree on regulations and restrictions worldwide."

Ms Edtstadler said that this collaboration should involve the industry and technology sectors to collectively discuss potential outcomes.

While you're here
Brief scores

Barcelona 2

Pique 36', Alena 87'

Villarreal 0

Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."

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Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.

Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.

The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.

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Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD

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Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Updated: January 18, 2024, 8:07 PM