On Thursday, 21 March 2024, the United Nations Normal Meeting (UNGA) met to commemorate the worldwide day on the elimination of racial discrimination. Throughout that session it, nearly clandestinely, adopted the first-ever decision on the subject of Synthetic Intelligence (AI). In direction of the tip of 2023, the UNGA already issued a collection of resolutions coping with technological improvement and their incorporation into the UN’s sustainable improvement targets. Nonetheless, none of them dealt particularly and solely with AI. Whereas the know-how has been growing sooner than ever, particularly because the breakthrough launch of generative AI and Giant Language Fashions reminiscent of Open AI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini or Microsoft’s Copilot prior to now yr, the progress on regulation has been creeping. The worldwide nature of AI’s implementation requires a global strategy to its regulation however it doesn’t appear straightforward for States to seek out frequent floor. After years of debate, the European Parliament lastly adopted the primary regional framework, the AI Act, earlier this month, and the Council of Europe is at the moment engaged on a Conference on Synthetic Intelligence. Nonetheless, on the worldwide stage, solely little is going on.
This put up will briefly clarify the circumstances of the decision’s adoption, after which shed some gentle on the differing pursuits of States relating to AI. Towards this background, it can analyse the contents of Decision 78/L.49.