President Karis: AI must serve people, not the other way round

Speaking at the WSIS+20 or World Summit on the Information Society organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva today, President Alar Karis said that the development and management of AI must be people-centred, rights-based and transparent.

The head of state underscored that in order to mitigate risks, a specific framework must be established for AI, its transparency must be ensured, human rights must be protected and the benefits of the technology must be shared equally by all rather than being concentrated in the hands of the few - or turned against the many. "AI must serve us, not the other way around," he cautioned.

President Karis says it is vital that no one is excluded from digital development, including that of AI. "The digital transition must reach everyone in society, and every corner of the world," he remarked, advocating for a future in which technology bolsters democracy as opposed to undermining it.

"Innovation and regulation must go hand in hand, not face off against each other," he urged. "No country can succeed on its own, which is why international cooperation is of such key importance."

The head of state says the question is no longer one of whether machines think, but how they ought to behave, who makes the decisions in this regard and what the principles are that guide AI.

In his address at the summit, President Karis noted that the development of AI is outstripping the creation of rules with which to regulate it, which can have the effect of exacerbating the digital divide. "Together, we need to steer those developments in a direction that ensures no one is left behind," he said.

The head of state shared Estonia's experience, giving the example of secure public-sector applications and the access to AI-based learning tools that will be opened up to teachers and students in Estonian schools this autumn so as to foster future skills.

Gallery: ©️ITU/Anne-Laure Lechat https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCm1E5