The Paris Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit finished on February 11th, and culminated in a declaration of policies to help ensure the regulation of the technology is open, inclusive, ethical, and trustworthy. Sixty nations signed on to the declaration, along with the European Union and the African Union Commission. Most notably, while China was a signatory, The United States, United Kingdom, and Russia were not. London refused, citing “national security concerns,” according to Euro News. Washington’s reasons were not made abundantly clear, though Vice President J.D. Vance noted that overregulation could stifle innovation. The presence of India as not only a signatory but a co-chair of the summit demonstrated the increased influence of Global South countries in shaping regulatory landscapes. While at first glance this seems to allow for a more democratized means of international regulation, it is still democratic by means of the unwieldy conduit of the nation state.
At Atlas, we believe such democratization of AI regulation must go further as we believe only globally can we steer and regulate emerging technologies ethically and equitably. Our solutions are based around a democratically elected Citizens’ Assembly. This will bring the interests of humanity, not only those of experts and nation states, to the fore of AI regulation. Additionally, our Survival Bill argues for the same Assembly to draft a treaty of principles from which future AI and technological regulation must follow.
If history teaches anything, it is that if you want your interests to be heard and acted upon, you must have people representing those interests in positions of power. Enacting our Survival Bill will, therefore, take many representatives in many different elected offices throughout the world, local, national, regional, and global. Our co-founder, Colombe Cahen-Salvador, is running to be the next United Nations Secretary-General, and so we ask that you support us in this campaign. If interested, we ask for your time volunteering with our party and even standing in your own election under the Atlas banner. This will bring us more visibility and exposure, which is necessary for growing the movement we believe is needed to make sure our planet remains not only livable for future generations, but thrivable.
By Trent Trepanier
Photo: RAND