Background:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained increasing interest from policymakers, developers, end users, and other stakeholders as AI is expected to lead to further improvements in efficiency, productivity, and innovation across industries and societies with the rapid advancement of machine learning technologies. However, concerns have also been raised about the ethical implications of AI, safety and security risks, such as bias in algorithmic decision-making, along with other societal impacts of AI like job displacement. In response to these trends, UN ESCAP organized an expert meeting on AI in January this year. Participants had the opportunity to learn about recent AI policies and trends from global companies and policy research organizations, as well as hear about AI policies in major countries.
UN ESCAP is preparing a second expert group meeting to evaluate how AI can best serve the interests of Asia-Pacific countries. The meeting will focus on the region's challenges, how AI can help tackle these issues, and the essential AI policies needed for sustainable development. The need to strengthen cooperation on AI among Asia-Pacific countries and the AI project concepts for the region's sustainable development will also be discussed. While the first meeting focused on regulatory trends in AI, with insights from leading countries, global companies, and policy institutes, the second meeting will center on AI policies and their priorities for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific countries. This will be a great opportunity for AI experts as well as policy experts from countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss in-depth what the priority AI policies are for the region.
