UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

10/17/2024 | News release | Archived content

UNESCO and the Thomson Reuters Foundation partner to launch the AI Governance Disclosure Initiative

UNESCO and the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) have partnered to launch the AI Governance Disclosure Initiative, the first tool of its kind supporting corporate leaders in identifying how their organisation develops and uses AI technologies, so they can harness its power while addressing the risk for individuals, society and the environment.

The way organisations design, deploy and use AI technologies is already changing society, and is set to transform how we live and work.

But the speed and scale of AI adoption also comes with heightened risk to people and business if not implemented ethically.

Corporate leaders are called to identify, understand and address the risks of their AI journeys, from how their AI systems impact legal compliance to privacy and security, to workforce upskilling and brand reputation. A lack of strategy around these issues can have serious consequences on people's lives and the future of their company.

The AI Governance Disclosure Initiative is a voluntary and free questionnaire that will act as a roadmap supporting businesses in maximising the potential of AI, by highlighting best practice, whilst mitigating risks. It will also help companies get ahead of emerging AI norms and legislation, positioning them as leaders in ethical AI development, deployment and use.

The Initiative will take companies through a thorough review of how AI is being developed and used across their operations and processes, covering areas such as:

· Procurement of AI systems

· Legal accountability

· Data privacy and bias

· Human oversight of AI tools

· Environmental impact assessment

· Processes to review and mitigate risks of using AI

· The impact of AI on the workforce, including re-skilling or up-skilling workers

· Ensuring diversity and inclusion in AI tools.

Developed with AI experts with input from UNESCO's business council, the Initiative is grounded in the values and principles of UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. Applicable to all 194 UNESCO member states, the Recommendation is the first ever global standard on AI ethics, with human rights, human dignity and fundamental freedoms at its core. The Recommendation speaks to all AI stakeholders including the private sector, guiding them through concrete measures on how to ensure AI is developed and deployed ethically.

The survey will be open for responses from summer 2025. Ahead of this, we are asking company representatives to sign up to receive updates on how to take part.

Launching the initiative at the Foundation's annual forum Trust Conference in London, Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Social and Human Sciences, said:

The AI Governance Disclosure Initiative will help companies assess and improve their commitment to ethical AI, going beyond a checkbox exercise. It offers a way to measure progress and demonstrate value and trustworthiness to investors and markets. Suitably crafted AI governance mechanisms are essential to ensuring that AI is developed, deployed and used ethically, and this initiative will play key role in aligning business practices with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, for them to thrive and for users and consumers to benefit from ethical AI.

Gabriela RamosAssistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO

We are at a critical juncture. The way businesses will harness the benefits of AI will have a profound impact on people, society and the environment. This questionnaire is an important and free asset that will help CEOs, CTOs, corporate counsels and Board Directors better understand the impact of their decisions related to AI adoption and identify potential harm to their broader stakeholder community. As such it will act a powerful tool to mitigate organisational risk and to earn trust in the technology and the company alike

Antonio ZappullaCEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation

Transparency on AI adoption is good for business

Data from the AI Governance Disclosure Initiative will operate in tandem with the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI), a world-leading platform on corporate disclosure.

Powered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, WDI collates voluntarily disclosed data on how companies manage their people, with the aim of improving corporate accountability and transparency.

Data from the new AI Governance Disclosure Initiative will be made available to members of WDI's investor coalition. This will help them steward their investments based on the ethical use of AI.

Trends and insights from the new Initiative will be made available publicly.

Championing corporate AI adoption

Both organisations are uniquely positioned to drive corporate engagement on AI adoption and governance.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, one of the world's leading content and technology companies. A registered charity in the UK and the USA, it leverages its media, legal and data-driven expertise to strengthen independent journalism, enable access to the law and promote responsible business. Improving data and transparency on the use of AI is key to the Foundation's work to shape responsible business practices that allow companies to thrive while doing no harm.

As the United Nations' laboratory of ideas, UNESCO is dedicated to safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms for the common good. Within the Social and Human Sciences Sector, the Ethics of AI Unit works to ensure that artificial intelligence serves humanity and the common good, upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms. The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted in 2021, establishes a framework for ethically governing AI by promoting inclusivity, equity, transparency, data protection, and international collaboration, among others.

Find out more about how your company can get involved, positioning it at the forefront of transformational change.