Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be an enabling technology for the sustainable development of the society and ecology. While ethical challenges on the development and use of AI have already been an important and continuing issue all over the world. How to make good use of AI and avoid potential negative impacts are essential for the future of humanity and ecology.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are set to solve development issues in economic, social and environmental dimensions. The SDGs call for action by "all countries - poor, rich and middle-income - to promote prosperity while protecting the planet." In all the areas related to SDGs, Artificial Intelligence has a great role to play. It can contribute positively to realize the goals, while it also can bring negative challenges. A more systematic attempt to harness the potential and mitigate the risk of AI for SDGs are needed from the perspective of Ethics and Governance.
Hence, the International Conferences on AI Ethics and Sustainable Development (AIESD) is aimed at creating a platform for global dialogues and discussions on timely and long term issues related to AI Ethics and Governance under the context of sustainable development of humanity, society, and ecology. The conference series aimed at promoting reaching, implementing global consensus, and sharing best practices related to AI Ethics and Sustainable Development.
Major themes and topics of the conference series include, but not limited to:
- AI and Human Rights
- AI and Privacy Protection
- AI and Fairness
- Transparency and Explainability of AI
- AI Safety and Security
- Trustworthiness and AI
- Ethics for Augment Intelligence
- Long-term Ethical Challenges for AI
- AI and Law
- Ethical AI for Next Generation
- Ethical AI for Healthcare
- Ethical AI for Climate Actions
- Ethical AI for Biodiversity
- Cross Culture AI Ethics
- AI for Peace
- Center for Long-term Artificial Intelligence
- International Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- Institute of AI International Governance, Tsinghua University
- Big Data Decision Analytics Research Centre, Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge
- Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Technical University of Munich
- Centre for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR), University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
- Center for Philosophy and the Future of Humanity, Peking University
- Center for AI and Data Governance, Singapore Management University
- Centre for AI Research (South Africa)
- China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) UN Consultative Committee on Ethics of Science and Technology and Responsible Innovation (STERI)
- Research Center for Science, Technology and Society, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
- Research Center for Applied Ethics, Fudan University
- Center for Social Responsibility and Governance, Institute of Law and Technology, Renmin University of China
- Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- AI for SDGs Cooperation Network
Yi Zeng, Director of Center for Long-term Artificial Intelligence. Professor and Director of International Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance at Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and lead organizer of AI for SDGs Cooperation Network.
“AI Ethics will enable steady and sustainable development of AI, and AI as an enabling technology contributing to sustainable development of human society and ecology. While on the other side, the risks associated with the development and use of AI will also create new problems and hinder the realization of sustainable development. It takes the world to create responsible AI for sustainable development, the human and ecology good. This is the main motivation of the conference series on AI Ethics and Sustainable Development.”
Seán S. ÓhÉigeartaigh, Program Director at Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (LCFI), University of Cambridge.
“Artificial intelligence is set to transform modern society, and has promising applications in healthcare, protecting the environment, and many other sustainability challenges. However any transformative technology comes with risks to overcome. The impacts of AI will be global, and so the challenges of ensuring it is beneficial are shared challenges for us all. The Centre for the Future of Intelligence is therefore delighted to partner in this conference, and to have the opportunity to share insights and expertise with colleagues from China’s leading institutions and other experts from across the world.”
Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem, Professor and Head of Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria. Ethics of AI Lead at Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR).
“We will contribute to the discussion and organization of events on the Place of Culture in AI Ethics. There is a lot of emphasis on global regulation and governance of AI technology. Are such endeavours taking note of issues such as epistemic injustice, differences between individualist rights-based and collectivist duty-based ethical systems, and other cultural factors? Should they? Why, or why not? How can culture become a calculus, or interpreting tool, for the global values needed to regulate AI? Should it? Why, or why not?”
Vincent C. Müller, Professor and Director of Centre for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR), University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
“AI designers and users have a responsibility towards sustainable development - just like everyone else. Furthermore, we take our guidance from the 17 UN sustainable development goals and develop the details of these for the AI context.”
Helen Meng, Patrick Huen Wing Ming Professor of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management, Director of Stanley Ho Big Data Decision Analytics Research Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“Researchers, engineers and technologists in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) must incorporate careful considerations relating to AI Ethics and Sustainable Development Goals throughout the entire processes of engineering designs and technological development. We must engage in active discussion and dialogs on how to achieve these Goals, as well as how to incorporate these practices into our education and research programs across disciplines.”
Mark Findlay, Professor and Director of Centre for AI and Data Governance, Singapore Management University.
“We will contribute to Trust, AI dependencies and the new era of data access. This meeting will advance the discussion of trustworthy AI and responsible data management into a new critical context. The influence of AI and big data across the globe is creating expanding dependencies between humans and machines and the data on which they rely. It is often argued that many of these dependencies are beneficial in advancing social development and addressing global crises. However, to what extent do these dependencies depend on trust, and is trust confirmed through standardisation and ethical compliance.“