Roundtable on "Artificial Intelligence: Reflection on its complexity and impact on our society"

The roundtable will be organized on 11 September 2018, from 6:15pm to 8pm at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. The round table aims to raise awareness about the latest developments and related ethical challenges concerning AI. The round table will be moderated by Professor Peter-Paul Verbeek, Professor of Philosophy of Twente University, Netherlands, a member of World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST).

UNESCO organizes a roundtable on “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” in order to raise awareness about the latest developments and related ethical challenges related to AI. The purposes of the roundtable are to bring together eminent experts in the field of science, law, medicine, biotechnology, ethics, philosophy and sociology, entrepreneurs, concerned international organizations, as well as the general public to discuss these issues, leading to potential areas of cooperation at the international level.

While AI has the potential to transform the future of humanity for the better and for sustainable development, there is thus also a prevailing awareness of the risks and challenges associated with AI, especially in terms of deepening existing inequalities and divides, human rights implications, and potential biases embedded in the algorithms of AI-based technologies. In order to sketch possible scenarios and unlock action potentials to grasp opportunities while managing risks, it is important to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how societies may be transformed by these technologies, taking account of how they are controlled and to which cultural understandings they respond.
Due to the potential global impacts of AI and the convergence of interests and actors, an intercultural dialogue is needed to take into account the different cultural approaches, and to identify risks and benefits.

The round table will be moderated by Dr Peter-Paul Verbeek, Professor of Philosophy of Twente University, Netherlands, a member of COMEST, and several other eminent experts are invited as speakers. Wide participation of Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, IBC and COMEST members, IGBC Member States, concerned international organizations, and the general public is expected. The round table will be accessible through livecasting to reach out broader audiences as well.

This event is open to public.