Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders and former President of Ireland, said:

I remain deeply concerned at the lack of progress on the global governance of artificial intelligence. Decision-making on AI’s rapid development sits disproportionately within private companies without significant checks and balances.  
 
AI risks and safety issues cannot be left to voluntary agreements between corporations and a small number of nations. Governance of this technology needs to be inclusive with binding, globally agreed regulations.   
 
The recent AI Seoul Summit saw welcome collaboration, particularly between the US and China, but the commitments made remain voluntary. There have been other encouraging developments, notably with the EU AI Act and the California bill SB-1047, but capacity and expertise within governments and international organisations is struggling to keep up with AI’s advancements.
 
Ungoverned AI poses an existential risk to humanity and has the potential to exacerbate other global challenges – from nuclear risks and the use of autonomous weapons, to disinformation and the erosion of democracy. Effective regulation of this technology at the multilateral level can help AI be a force for good, not a runaway risk.   
 
Along with my fellow Elders, I reaffirm our call from May 2023 for an international AI safety body. I look forward to bold and ambitious recommendations from the UNSG’s high level advisory body on this in the coming weeks.”

In partnership with The Future of Life Institute and others, The Elders are calling for long-view leadership on existential threats such as AI. Sign our open letter calling on world leaders to collaborate on bold and ambitious solutions to the global challenges we face.     

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