UN resolution on artificial intelligence passed

Yesterday the United Nations passed a resolution initiated by the US in an attempt to adopt a common approach to AI. The aim behind the resolution is to seek some sort of common approach amidst the backdrop of increasing fragmentation in the regulatory framework as well as an attempt to re-establish US tech hegemony in the face of rising Chinese potential in this sphere. The resolution expounds a share vision for how this technology can be exploited to the benefit of all and suggests appropriate safeguards against misuse.

This development suggests everyone has now woken up to the significance of AI but its actual impact should not be over-estimated. It is non-binding and does not impose any particular rules and, as with most guidelines, the bad actors it is intended to curtail will probably ignore it. On the plus side, the resolution's wording was at least balanced in terms of the enormous potential benefit AI could bring without being blind to the possible pitfalls. However, the Holy Grail a single, worldwide, binding set of rules everyone will (and in practical terms can) adhere to remains elusive.