Palak proposed ITU to establish AI governance agency
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has proposed the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations to establish a very strong International Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Agency for the member states. He opined that there should be an advisory board under this agency with the participation of all member states and partners. Palak proposed that the board would include scientists, technologists, engineers and citizen representatives. Besides, he expressed hope that artificial intelligence (AI) will be taught in educational institutions soon.
The Minister of State for ICT and Telecom of Bangladesh made this proposal in the table discussion on AI for good governance held on the occasion of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)+20 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Palak said, 'We' means government, private sector, NGOs, INGOs and industry, scientists, academia together and collectively tried to find out how to successfully implement an AI governance network. Besides, we want to create opportunities to introduce AI laws, guidelines, policies from the United Nations and various countries.
Later, in a panel discussion on ‘Insights into Government Implementation of AI’, State Minister Palak said that AI plays an important role in empowering people and innovating. Yet we must be vigilant and proactive in addressing its risks. By working together with government, industry and society, we can secure ourselves against AI's potential threats while harnessing its power for good in the greater welfare.
He also said that Bangladesh is a developing country that has ambitions and expectations for AI. Our most timely initiative is the development of the “G-Brain” i.e., Government Brain, which is controlled by AI, which aims to enhance and improve our ability to deliver government services more effectively. As we embrace advances in AI, we must build strong defenses to protect against its misuse. Establishing ethical guidelines and regulatory frameworks is crucial to ensure the positive use of AI.
Mrs. Emma Inamutila Theofelus, Minister of Information and Communication Technology of Namibia; and Mauricio Lizcano, Minister of Information and Communication of Colombia, also participated in the table discussion which was moderated by Professor Robert F. Trager of Oxford University.
