AI must develop within framework of international rules, says Czech president

Czech President Petr Pavel on Wednesday warned of the risks posed by artificial intelligence, stressing that the technology must serve humanity and develop within the framework of international law.

In his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Pavel said human beings “must remain” in control of technology, rather than become subject to it.

“AI can bring enormous benefits to humanity, but without effective safeguards, it can also cause immense harm,” he added.

Pavel said the world cannot allow an unchecked race for technological dominance to determine the future of AI, with pressure to move first pushing safety, oversight and responsibility aside.

Referring to the Manhattan Project, the World War II research and development program that produced the first nuclear weapons, Pavel said it demonstrated how rapidly a scientific breakthrough could transform the balance of power and how difficult it could be for politics and international rules to catch up.

Artificial intelligence confronts the world today with a different technology and different risks, he said, “but with a similar lesson: governance that comes only after the fact may come too late.”

“If AI is to serve humanity, it must develop within a framework of international rules … No country and no company can meet this challenge alone,” he added.