The United Nations attempt to regulate AI could complicate enterprise compliance

"The United Nations has launched a call for countries to agree to what it refers to as AI red lines: "do-not-cross limits for artificial intelligence, [to be established] by the end of 2026 to prevent the most severe risks to humanity and global stability." The UN statement issued Monday said, "without binding international rules, humanity faces escalating risks [ranging] from engineered pandemics and large-scale disinformation to global security threats, systematic human rights abuses and loss of human control and oversight over advanced systems.""

"In a UN Q&A document about the initiative, the global body offered a wide range of possible AI bans, including barring its use in nuclear command and control, lethal autonomous weapons, mass surveillance, human impersonation involving "AI systems that deceive users into believing they are interacting with a human without disclosing their AI nature," and cyber malicious use, which it defined as "prohibiting the uncontrolled release of cyberoffensive agents capable of disrupting critical infrastructure.""

"The UN also wants prohibitions against autonomous self-replication, which it said is the "deployment of AI systems capable of replicating or significantly improving themselves without explicit human authorization," as well blocking "the development of AI systems that cannot be immediately terminated if meaningful human control over them is lost." And, it emphasized, "any future treaty should be built on three pillars: a clear list of prohibitions; robust, auditable verification mechanisms; and the appointment of an independent body established by the Parties to oversee implementation.""

The United Nations is calling for countries to agree on AI red lines by the end of 2026 to prevent severe risks to humanity and global stability. Identified risks include engineered pandemics, large-scale disinformation, global security threats, systematic human rights abuses, and loss of human control over advanced systems. Proposed prohibitions cover use in nuclear command and control, lethal autonomous weapons, mass surveillance, deceptive human impersonation, cyberoffensive releases, autonomous self-replication, and non-terminable systems. Any treaty should include a clear list of prohibitions, auditable verification mechanisms, and an independent oversight body. National regulation divergence could increase enterprise IT compliance burdens.

Read at Computerworld