The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing and holds both the potential for sustainable development and significant risks.
As such, the opportunities presented by AI must be harnessed, while the risks are carefully mitigated.
This is according to the Political Coordinator of the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations, Neishanta Benn.
She was at the time delivering a speech during the Arria-Formula Meeting on “Harnessing Safe, Inclusive, Trustworthy AI for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security” on Friday.
Benn stated that Guyana believes such initiatives help pave the way towards ensuring AI is used in a responsible manner.
“This can be made possible through robust governance frameworks in line with international law – a point reiterated in the General Assembly resolutions on the topic, in the Global Digital Compact, and in the final report of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI. Guyana believes such initiatives help to ensure AI is used responsibly and for the benefit of all humankind.
“Firstly, in supporting the maintenance of international peace and security, it is critical to ensure that AI technology is developed and utilised in a safe and ethical manner. Open AI systems allow for enhanced accessibility, inclusivity, and collaboration among stakeholders, and support the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including in areas such as healthcare, education, and the environment. These systems can provide opportunities to bridge digital divides between developed and developing countries and to facilitate knowledge and experience exchange. However, to ensure the responsible use of AI through these systems, transparency, accountability, and human oversight and control must be prioritised,” Benn stated.
She went on to note that open AI systems should also be safe, secure, and reliable, and that once these elements are incorporated, the risk of misuse can be reduced—creating a more stable and secure global environment.
“Finally, there is a need for practical responses to the challenges posed by the misuse of AI. One such practical measure is for countries to strengthen their cybersecurity infrastructure and develop incident response plans to address cyber threats and attacks. At the international level, cooperation through intelligence sharing and capacity-building remains critical. In terms of preserving information integrity, countering hate speech and disinformation campaigns in the context of UN peace operations requires educational awareness and training for peacekeepers. Raising public awareness of the perils of hate speech and how to detect disinformation can help create a safer operating environment for peacekeepers. Additionally, peacekeepers, as part of their mandate, should be trained to detect and respond effectively to cyber threats, hate speech, and disinformation, recognising that they are sometimes victims of these,” she stressed.
President Dr Irfaan Ali recently proposed the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool to accelerate equitable economic growth, reduce disparities, and address key global challenges. He made this proposal at the Berkeley Innovation Forum hosted at the NASA Ames Research Center in California, United States.
