Zhejiang University: Joint efforts called for to promote AI ethics
A multi-country panel of scholars, researchers and stakeholders called for global efforts to tackle the peril of AI usage with AI ethics at the Workshop themed on “the AI Ethics & Internet Governance: Global Lessons & Practices”. As part of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Katowice, Poland from December 6 to 10, the Workshop was co-hosted by the Zhejiang University College of Media and International Culture and Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, the Pennsylvania State University on December 10 in the hybrid format, bringing together 70 participants around the world.
Eminent scholars from China, US, Canada shared their insights on the Internet governance in the keynote speech session chaired by Prof. Bu Zhong from the Pennsylvania State University.
Prof. WEI Lu, dean of the Zhejiang University College of Media and International Culture, pointed out the main challenges China is faced with in the Age of Intelligent Media, calling on the synergy from the government, media and the public to address the risks.
Prof. Matthieu Guitton, secretary of the Faculty of Medicine chez Université Laval, Canada stressed the necessity to identify the status and rights we will give to AI.
AI reduces the competitiveness and development opportunities of small and medium-sized enterprises although it can replace a large amount of repetitive work, said Prof. Amit Sharma, director of Food Decisions Research Laboratory, the Pennsylvania State University.
Prof. FANG Xingdong from Zhejiang University College of Media and International Culture, co-organizer of the Workshop, stated that global digital governance is related to the daily life. “It is crucial for us to work together and build new mechanisms from communication consensus to institutional co-construction,” he added.
Prof. Zhong emphasized the urgency to resolve a series of questions related to AI as the ubiquity of AI application is transforming almost every aspect of human experience.
Following the keynote speeches, participants online and offline had a heated discussion as to digital divide, social responsibility of the companies, regulation and etc. “Every and each one of us need to play a role in this great process, governments, big companies, media organizations, international organizations, and most importantly the general public,” said Prof. Wei.
In 2006, the Secretary-General of the United Nations announced the convening of the IGF. Over the past 16 years, the IGF has served as a platform to bring various people and stakeholder groups to the table as equals to exchange information and share good policies and practices related to the Internet and technologies. The overarching theme for this year’s IGF conference is Internet United. Among a few hundred proposals from multi stakeholders, the proposal for this Workshop convened by Prof. ZHANG Xingdong and Prof. Bu Zhong was selected to be held at this year’s annual meeting by the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.