- Unesco’s AI guidelines oppose use of the technology for ‘invasive’ applications that ‘infringe on human rights and fundamental freedoms’
- The UN agency’s recommendations come more than a month after China introduced its own set of ethical guidelines governing AI
The world’s first international ethics guidelines for artificial intelligence, which ban the technology’s use for “social scoring or mass surveillance purposes”, have been adopted by a United Nations specialised agency that AI powerhouses the United States and Israel withdrew from in 2018.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), which has 193 member states and is widely credited for protecting landmarks known as World Heritage Sites, said the guidelines serve as a global set of “recommendations” instead of a binding agreement, according to a statement on Thursday.