UNESCO Approves Granting Centre for AI Research & Ethics
At its 42nd session, held during the 16th of November 2023, the UNESCO General Conference officially approved the granting of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), based in Riyadh, to be designated as a Category 2 Center under its supervision
According to the Saudi Press Agency, Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), along with representatives from the permanent mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO, as well as the National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science, was in attendance at the event.
Saudi Arabia’s achievements show its continued encouragement of UNESCO’s aim of improving people’s lives. It also shows the country’s commitment to its local and global responsibilities, affirming its ongoing support for artificial intelligence to benefit nations worldwide, especially developing countries.
ICAIRE stands behind the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and UNESCO’s AI programs, with a focus on the Middle East. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands among the initial countries to adopt UNESCO’s AI ethics recommendations from November 2021, where 193 states participated.
As stated in the Saudi Press article, the principles of AI ethics were initiated at the second Global AI Summit, organized by SDAIA, in September of 2022. The Cabinet approved the establishment called the International Center for AI Research and Ethics on July 25, 2023. Based in Riyadh, it would have legal personality, financial, and administrative independence.
The launch of such an institution is a way of showing the KSA’s effort to become a leader in AI, enhancing its role in the coordination of regional and global collaborations in AI policy, ethics, and research.
There are four main areas of focus for the center: encouraging AI research, raising awareness about AI ethics, providing policy recommendations and support in AI development, and contributing globally to AI initiatives that benefit the overall population, according to the Saudi Press article.
