The UN’s Global Advocate for Digital Governance

In a previous article we asked: How Can the UN Provide AI Governance Going Forward? and identified a number of steps it could take to actually do so. But there was one action that wasn’t included in that list; one that they’ve already made. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was announced as the UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance on March 17th.

The Global Advocate role responds to growing public interest in issues such as artificial intelligence, digital platforms and online information ecosystems. It is designed as a public-facing complement to the UN’s digital governance work, helping make complex policy debates more accessible and relatable.

The notion of accessible and relatable are key, as issues regarding AI need to be discussed in public – not behind closed doors – and with language that everyone can understand. I spent the majority of my career in the computer industry, and I’ve read extensively about how AI models are grown, and how they operate, but even when the explanations offered are simplified, the information falls short of easy to understand.

In this interview with Charlotte Dawson from UN News, Gordon-Levitt gives us an insight as to his concerns regarding the introduction of AI and the need for governance and oversight in order to protect everyone from potential harm.

“digital technology should be governed by people and for people”

While every industry enjoys some level of autonomy in how they operate, they all must conform to some measure of governance and accountability. In short, their products need to be safe, and if their products cause harm, they are held responsible.

Airplanes must be deemed safe to fly, our food must be safe to eat, and the pharmaceuticals we consume for our health must be tested. Even a toaster must be designed not to electrocute us when toasting a slice of bread.

“I think that the way this technology is designed and deployed and governed is going to be massively impactful on everyone’s lives.”

But the AI industry, which is producing the most powerful technology known to humankind, doesn’t seem to warrant that same guarantee when it comes down to product safety. Even the recent agreement signed by industry leaders at the White House is bereft of any legal basis or any method of enforcement. (more on that disappointing document in a subsequent post)

“Hey, no, we don’t want these products to just be built for your profits. We want these products to be built for the good of everyone.”

Can Joseph, or even the entire UN, solve this conundrum? Sadly, no. But having an advocate that can help us keep the conversation alive in public discourse is a move in the right direction. I’ll keep tabs on Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s efforts.