Executive orders, international agreements and resolutions seeking to regulate artificial intelligence have made significant strides this year, but regulatory gaps remain and “AI safe havens” could undermine global progress, a Washington research conference has warned.
“AI governance is not a challenge any nation can tackle alone,” Shigeo Yamada, Japan's ambassador to the US, said during his speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies' International AI Policy Outlook conference. “Regulatory gaps in one country could allow unregulated AI development in another, creating what we call AI safe havens.
“We must acknowledge that so far we have not been able to fully engage countries with different positions, including authoritarian states, in these multilateral efforts.”
Mr Yamada didn't specify any countries during his speech, but said such safe havens could allow for negative AI scenarios to come to fruition, blunting economic and societal positives.
“Risks include national security vulnerabilities, cybersecurity threats, privacy violations, the potential misuse of intellectual property,” he said at the at the Wadhwani AI centre conference.
Japan has sought to take a lead in enhancing international AI collaboration as the technology quickly developed.
During the 49th G7 Summit in Japan, the Hiroshima AI Process initiative was announced with hopes of providing a comprehensive framework to responsibly pursue advancements, while at the same time curtailing potential problems.
That initiative eventually led to the creation of the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group, which now has 54 member countries.
According to a code of conduct provided by the group, organisations in the field of AI are encouraged to follow various actions throughout the course of AI development.
“In designing and implementing testing measures, organisations commit to devote attention to the following risks as appropriate,” the code of conduct reads.
“Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks, such as the ways in which advanced AI systems can lower barriers to entry, including for non-state actors, for weapons development, design acquisition, or use … Risks from [AI] models of making copies of themselves or 'self-replicating' or training other models.”
The code of conduct, according to the group, is updated periodically amid meetings and consultations with member countries and other organisations.
Jennifer Bachus, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the bureau of cyberspace and digital policy at the US State Department, agreed with Mr Yamada.
“Technology diplomacy is increasingly foundational to everything we do in the world,” she said, while also acknowledging the need to avoid becoming numb to the growing chorus of those warning about AI falling into nefarious hands.
“Saying that there's no risk to AI also dumbs down the situation for developing countries.
“They absolutely think there's a risk, and they want to know how to create a situation where they can also have the economic benefits without having national security risk.”
Most speakers at the event also addressed the problem of AI increasing energy demand to power data centres required by the burgeoning technology.
Mr Yamada said that he hoped photon-electron fusion, which replaces electric-based processing with energy efficient light-based processing, would help to alleviate the AI energy crunch.
“We need to improve the energy efficiency of AI itself,” he said. “Now there's an effort to expand light-based processing to include computing chips and peripheral components.”
Sara Cohen, Canada's deputy head of mission, also spoke about the energy concerns.
“AI has a voracious appetite for energy,” she said. “From Canada's perspective it is imperative that we ensure the mainstreaming of AI in governments and workforces does not undermine our progress towards shared climate goals.”
In recent years, while acknowledging AI's increased energy consumption, some researchers and proponents have also pointed to the potential efficiencies created by the technology that could help the climate, although it remains to be seen if that potential can turn into reality.
The return of president-elect Donald Trump could also impact how the world co-operates with AI development and regulations. Mr Trump has promised to repeal President Joe Biden's executive order on AI development.
The Republican Party's 2024 convention platform, largely influenced by the Trump campaign, described the executive order as “dangerous”.
Several speakers at the CSIS event said the future of global AI co-operation and regulation would be more clearer when France hosts an AI action summit in February, shortly after Mr Trump takes office.
“I think it will be very interesting as to how that goes,” said Ms Bachus.
“I think hopefully by that time we'll have a good sense where the Trump administration will be going on AI, what's it's imprimatur and how they're doing it, I can't predict because it's a new administration, it might work out really well or it might be really challenging.”
The private sector also took part in the conference, with Aalok Mehta, Google’s responsible AI policy director, taking part in a panel discussion about AI codes of conduct with Wendy Collins, NTT Data’s chief AI officer.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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2.
3.
4.
5.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
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Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
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Rating: 3/5
Our commentary on Brexit
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
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Engine: 5.2-litre V10
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La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
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THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
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