IGF 2020 WS #75 AI solution and governance for global public emergencies

Information

Session

Time:

Tuesday, 10 November, 2020 - 08:40 to 10:10 UTC

Room:

Room 1

About this Session:

This workshop will explore the potential of AI to create solutions for global public emergencies and build some good governance models of AI.

Thematic Track:

Data

Topic(s):

Artificial Intelligence
Emergency Procedures For Data Access

Organizer 1: CHANG LIU, China Association for Science and Technology
Organizer 2: Jing MA, China Association for Science and Technology
Organizer 3: Xiang Zhou, China Association for Science and Technology (CAST)
Organizer 4: Rui ZHONG, Internet Society of China

Speaker 1: Chuang Liu, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: KE GONG, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Ricardo Israel Robles Pelayo, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Horst Kremers, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Daisy Selematsela, Civil Society, African Group

Format:

Panel - Auditorium - 90 Min

Description:

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, it brings global attention to public health emergencies and solutions. AI System that is easy to deploy with little effort, and has been shown to be practically very helpful in the front-line screening and diagnosis measures for COVID-19. For example, the CT+AI Screening, which used together with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and form a more sensitive and complete examination procedure. Furthermore, the data based on CT + AI are objective and unified, which are conducive to the formation of a rapid direct reporting system. Therefore, it has become an important decision-making basis for current epidemic monitoring and control. However, new issues have also emerged: the inadequacy of Infrastructure and platform, the threats to governance and supervise, the challenges to principle and privacy, etc. AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. These processes include learning, reasoning, and self-correction. Today we are faced not just with the record pace with Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerge, but also with the exponentially growing demand for accessibility by people in emergencies. Relying on doctors and nurses alone to manually identifying and providing timely treatment is impractical at the moment as we simply don’t have that many of medical professionals. Stephen Hawking famously said: “Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst.” Thus, this is very right time to discuss the issues of AI applications in global public emergencies. This workshop will consider the potential of AI to create solutions for these public accidents and explore the challenges and mapping some good governance models of AI.

Issues:

The outbreak of COVID-19 is becoming a serious global concern. How to effectively control the pandemic is an emerging question to all nations in this planet. The rapid growth of the cases is beyond the capability of doctors and hospitals could deal with. The lack of experiences, immature measures, untrusted information, poor timeliness and risks, require more efficient and intelligent solutions to carry out when facing these kinds of accidents. The new technologies, such as AI and Big Data, provide innovations and opportunities in epidemic preparedness and epidemic response. AI system is a practical tool to quickly mimic professional decisions in many areas, and played a key role in COVID-19 treatment. However, new problems have also been created. For example, the inadequacy of Infrastructure and platform, the threats to governance and supervise, the challenges to principle and privacy, etc. This workshop will explore the potential of AI to create solutions for global public emergencies and build some good governance models of AI.

Policy Question(s):

Ethical, political, legal and regulatory dimensions for AI governance: Whether the technological capacity and infrastructure gap in AI increase the digital divide between developed and developing countries? What societal and economic benefits are enabled by the trustworthy use of AI in global public emergencies? How should these benefits be weighed against the need to protect fundamental rights?

Expected Outcomes:

1. Present key issues on AI governance for global public emergencies. 2. Reach common understanding on the ways in which AI can be put to work to maximize their benefits, especially in improving connectivity and accessibility of marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities, with learning difficulties or the elderly. 3. Define a follow-up action plan and come out an AI governance principles and guidelines.

Relevance to Internet Governance: Although AI is a promising technology domain with numerous emerging applications, it also has very strong developmental implications. Its correct and neutral operation is crucial to the security, stability and resilience of the Internet. It absolutely needs serious consensus among stakeholders on the governance model. From a procedural standpoint, the collaborative dialogue among those stakeholder groups around the topic in question can yield better results if it follows some widely recognized principles that can ensure open, transparent and accountable, inclusive and equitable activities. With that spirit in mind, as the IGF is the main focal point for Internet governance discussion worldwide, this workshop intends to discuss AI solution for global public emergencies through the substantial examples at the global forum in order to build some good governance models of AI.

Relevance to Theme: The workshop is directly related to the theme and subtheme of IGF 2020, respectively. It is highly relevant as the AI is seriously impacting the Information Society, especially when a public emergency breaks out.

Moderator:

Xiang Zhou, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Online Moderator:

Jing MA, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Rapporteur:

CHANG LIU, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group

Discussion Facilitation:

All experts and audience will make comments and raise questions in regards to the speeches presented, guided by the moderator. Online participation will be led by a facilitated dialogue. There will be a live broadcast on the meeting and online attendees will get involved in the workshop during the whole session. Besides, online attendees will have a separate queue and microphone which rotate equally with the mics in the room and is entitled to raise questions after each presentation of the speaker and engage during the panel discussion. Trained online moderator with previous experience will direct the online participation. Audio-visual material: Organizers will explore the use of visuals (i.e. videos, PowerPoint slides, images, infographics) not just for the ice-breaker, but also throughout the workshop to animate the session and aid those whose native language may not be English.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool.

SDGs:

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-Being
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Report

1. Key Policy Questions and related issues:

What societal and economic benefits are enabled by the trustworthy use of AI in global public emergencies?

How should these benefits be weighed against the need to protect fundamental rights?

What are the key challenges and possible solutions for AI and Big Data governance?

2. Summary of Issues Discussed:

There was broad support for the view that AI and Big Data can provide innovations and opportunities in epidemic preparedness and response. Good application cases were introduced during the presentations. Panellists also agreed that although AI system and Big Data played a key role in combating COVID-19, they inevitably created some new problems. Especially, challenges of AI and Big Data Governance are well identified. Therefore, panellists reached a consensus on the great significance of mapping some good governance models of AI and Big Data to maximize their benefits. Moreover, they agreed that a synergy of global partnership is required on AI, both for its technical development and for its governance. Further discussions are needed on the detailed description for implementation at the operational level.

3. Key Takeaways:

This session reached a consensus on the necessity of establishing AI policy and good governance models, as well as improving data management and operational standard to make better use of AI. The key takeaways are as follow:

1. Present key issues and challenges on AI and Big Data governance for global public emergencies.

2. Reach common understanding on the ways in which AI can be put to work to maximize its benefits.

3. Define a follow-up action plan and come out an AI governance principles and guidelines.

4. Policy Recommendations or Suggestions for the Way Forward:

What policy sector(s) does this fall under? (leave blank if not sure):

Overarching governance issues

Issue and Recommendation:

Standardisation is needed to allow data is shared with certain protection to ensure data security. We need to reach consensus and establish widely recognized standards or governance model to ensure AI is fair to every person and to be inclusive.

Who should take it?:

Consensus are absolutely needed among stakeholders on the operational standard of data and AI governance model. This requires a synergy of global partnership on AI, both for its technical development and for its governance. There is a need for the public and private sectors and civil society organizations, as well as academia and scientific and research institutions, to work more closely together and to create opportunities for collaboration. Also, the correct and neutral operation of AI is crucial to the security, stability and resilience of the Internet. With that spirit in mind, as the IGF is the main focal point for Internet governance discussion worldwide, it could be an ideal platform for the collaborative dialogue among those stakeholder groups.

5. Other Initiatives Addressing the Session Issues:

Initiative:

The issue: To what extend AI will work in land-locked countries during the emergencies? Not only COVID-19. Also, flood, earthquake, agriculture etc. The Initiative addressing the issue: AI is a strong internet reliable technology. So in emergencies to keep information internet to work at least extent is very important. So if we lose the interconnectivity AI may have some offline application but by large it is not useful. We are in the stage of doing experiment with AI but the question is how to put this into operational practice. This is a complex work and cannot be done by small projects, so we have to take initiative for international cooperation, and to see more research and development on national and international level that try to join forces and find right resources of doing all these detailed work.

6. Final Speakers:

Speaker 1: KE GONG, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization

Speaker 2: Horst Kremers, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Speaker 3: Chuang Liu, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Speaker 4: Daisy Selematsela, Civil Society, African Group

Speaker 5: Ricardo Israel Robles Pelayo, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Speaker 6: Xiang Zhou, China Association for Science and Technology (CAST)

7. Reflection to Gender Issues:

The discussion at this session concerns every stakeholder involved in the field of AI and Big Data, including citizens, scientists, policy makers, public and private sectors, civil society organizations, academia and research institutions and so forth. It did not directly address issues related to gender equality and/or women’s empowerment. Recommendations were put forward on how to establish effective AI policy and good governance models, as well as how to improve data management, which should be applied to people in general, regardless of their gender.

8. Session Outputs:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqj4MQPov_U

9. Group Photo:

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IGF 2020 WS #75 AI solution and governance for global public emergencies

Information