2024 SAIFS Academic Conference

A recording of these remarks can be found on YouTube and Tencent.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the Shanghai AI-Finance School and East China Normal University for the invitation to speak at the SAIFS Academic Conference.

With only six years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our global community finds itself far off track in realizing the vision set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are standing at a critical crossroads that demands our urgent attention and concerted actions.

The challenges we face are multifaceted and complex, ranging from rising inequality and persistent poverty to climate change-induced catastrophes and ecological degradation. The pandemic and geopolitical conflicts have exacerbated these interconnected crises, with developing countries and vulnerable groups bearing a disproportionate share of the burden.

To save the SDGs and improve the well-being of people and the planet, we must leverage innovative advances in technology, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), which offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate our progress.

As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “From healthcare to education, from climate action to food systems, generative Artificial Intelligence is the most important potential tool to build inclusive, green, sustainable economies and societies.”

From assisting individuals in our daily tasks to powering ambitious and creative projects, AI is already reshaping how we live and work.

To address climate change and other environmental challenges, AI can facilitate real-time data analysis and communication, allowing for monitoring and forecasting of environmental changes, thus ensuring prompt and effective responses to natural disasters.

AI is also directly improving the lives and livelihoods of workers in various sectors. In agriculture, AI is supporting farmers and providing invaluable support, from crop yield improvement to capacity building. Its ability to analyze large amounts of data enables more precise decision-making and resilient agricultural systems, leading to more sustainable and efficient farming practices.

In healthcare, AI is expanding access to quality care, particularly in remote areas with scarce medical resources. By leveraging AI, we can diagnose diseases earlier, develop personalized treatments, and improve patient outcomes. Similarly, opportunities exist with respect to education accessibility and poverty alleviation.

The global progress of AI has been transformative, driving innovation and advancements across various industries, and China has been at the forefront of much of this development, with AI contributing significantly to national economic growth and impacting the global technology landscape. 

China has developed a relatively comprehensive AI ecosystem, spanning from basic hardware and algorithmic platforms to diverse application scenarios. With a series of policies fostering AI research and development, numerous leading AI enterprises with international competitiveness have emerged. Additionally, China has become a major contributor to the global digital economy, with AI and digital technologies extensively applied in sectors such as e-commerce, mobile payments, and the sharing economy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As with any powerful and novel tool, artificial intelligence brings not only opportunities for sustainable development, but also significant risks. Immediate action is needed to address these challenges and protect our sustainable development outcomes.

The digital world is marked by persistent divides. These divides manifest in various forms: unequal access to the internet, the affordability of digital services, and disparities in digital skills across different regions, genders, income levels, and age groups. As the innovation gap widens, the wealth generated by technological advancements primarily benefits a select few. This concentration of wealth often comes at the expense of broader investments in public education and infrastructure, thereby exacerbating economic and social inequalities.

The pandemic highlighted both the potential and the risks of digital technologies. During this period, the reliance on digital technologies increased significantly, yet the unequal distribution of digital resources and skills became more apparent.

AI systems can perpetuate biases present in the data on which they are trained. These biases include gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors. If not designed or deployed correctly, AI can result in discriminatory outcomes in critical areas such as hiring, lending, and law enforcement.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into various sectors, the risk of these biases influencing decision-making grows. It can potentially disadvantage and sideline vulnerable populations, reinforce cycles of poverty, mistrust and exclusion, further widening the gap between different socioeconomic groups.

Another pressing concern is the issue of data privacy and security. AI systems rely heavily on large datasets, which sometimes include sensitive personal information. The misuse or mishandling of such data can lead to a severe invasion of privacy, potentially exposing individuals to danger and eroding public trust in AI technologies. 

The advent of AI has also been accompanied by a proliferation of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech, which harms users, and present regulatory frameworks have proven themselves unfit to address these threats.

To mitigate these harms and leverage the true potential of AI, we must establish accountable, equitable, and ethical global governance frameworks. 

First, we must ensure equitable access to AI tools, applications, and infrastructure, along with capacity development and technology transfer, to prevent an expansion of the digital divide. At the country level, governments should increase investment in digital infrastructure, support new business opportunities, and provide training and re-skilling programs for officials and the workforce.

At the individual level, digital skill acquisition through education and lifelong learning is imperative. As AI continues to evolve, there is a growing need for the workforce to be equipped with the skills to develop, manage, and regulate AI technologies. This includes not only technical skills, but also an understanding of the ethical, social, and environmental implications of AI. By promoting education and training in AI-related fields, we can empower individuals and communities to participate in and benefit from the AI revolution and the new job opportunities that will be created.

Second, AI must become more ethical and transparent. Current AI models and data sets, which have biases built into them, need to become more inclusive and diverse, with adequate testing to ensure AI systems are not perpetuating biases and discrimination.

As AI becomes increasingly pervasive, it is important to raise public engagement and awareness, supporting the public to understand AI applications and to participate in discussions about its future. This participation can help build trust and ensure that AI technologies are aligned with universal human rights, values, and ethical principles.

Furthermore, promoting research and development of sustainable AI technologies should be a priority. Encouraging innovations that enhance AI’s ability to address global challenges can lead to more sustainable outcomes. Governments, industry, and academia must collaborate to support research initiatives that focus on energy-efficient AI models, responsible data practices, and equitable AI applications.

Ladies and gentlemen,

To foster the principles of equity, transparency and accountability, and realize the 2030 Agenda, we need comprehensive and effective governance to ensure that the use of AI will be regulated for public benefit. The United Nations, with its global reach and ability to convene the breadth of stakeholders needed, must play a leading role in facilitating the development and implementation of a global AI governance framework.

In October 2023, the UN Secretary-General launched an AI Advisory Body, to identify guiding principles and the functions that such an AI governance framework should include. Its outcomes will feed into the preparation of the Global Digital Compact, to be agreed upon at the Summit of the Future, taking place this September in New York.

World leaders will come together at the Summit to reach a consensus on an action-oriented outcome document – a Pact for the Future. This agreement, along with the Global Digital Compact, will serve to focus our efforts on strengthening the multilateral system to respond to our current challenges and accelerate progress on the SDGs.

The Global Digital Compact aims to foster multi-stakeholder cooperation towards a shared vision of an open, free, secure, and human-centred digital future, grounded in the principles of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the 2030 Agenda. The Compact seeks to enhance international cooperation among multiple stakeholders, including governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and academia. Here, I encourage all relevant stakeholders to actively engage in the discussions on the Compact and global conversations on AI governance.

We do not know what the future of AI holds. The only thing that is certain is that AI and other high-tech developments will continue to transform our lives and society. 

We must recognize that AI is not just a tool for efficiency and optimization, but also for promoting inclusive and sustainable growth. But we need global conversations that bring together voices from developed and developing countries, across a wide range of sectors, whose inputs can be used to develop a global AI governance framework that mitigates risks, ensures accountability, and promotes equity.

Together, let us close the digital divide and ensure that the most vulnerable groups have access to these digital technologies.

Let us build a responsible and ethical framework to leverage the use of AI for good that puts our progress on the SDGs back on track.

Finally, let us embrace the potential of AI to build a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for everyone, everywhere.

Thank you.