Roundtable on AI, regulation and geopolitics with Dr. Rumman Chowdhury

OSLO, November 6th - Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) hosted a closed session in collaboration with dScience and the Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium (NORA), bringing together participants from academia, government, politics, and business to discuss AI, regulation, and geopolitics. The discussions were according to the Chatham House rule.

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Special thanks to NUPI for organising this session and Dr. Rumman Chowdhury for sharing her vast knowledge and experience with these topics. Also big thanks to the participants for their contributions and valuable insights that greatly enriched the discussions. PHOTO: Christoffer Hals, dScience

Participants from the dScience Partner program had an exclusive invite to the event where Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, who recently appeared in Time’s 100 most important in AI, introduced the topics of discussion. Chowdhury, amongst other things is running Parity Consulting, Parity Responsible Innovation Fund, and is a Responsible AI Fellow at the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The backdrop for this session was the rapid advances in artificial intelligence that are creating breakthroughs in a range of different fields. However, there are also risks to this powerful tool that must be addressed. A rising number of actors advocate the need for responsible AI, making sure it remains under human control, subject to the rule of law, guided by ethical guardrails. What would (norms for) a responsible AI look like? And how can we come together to develop it?

The development of AI tech is also a geopolitical race for harnessing the power and benefits of the technology. Who will win this race? And what are the prospects for establishing global norms and regulations?

For Norwegian authorities it will be important to understand how AI affects foreign policy decisions, where to develop foreign policies to address AI-driven challenges, and how to secure a responsible AI domestically. Should Norway set up their own Large Language Models? Should we take a particular role in discussions on international regulation?

These were some of the questions and topics discussed in the a round table discussion.

Special thanks to NUPI for organising this session and Dr. Rumman Chowdhury for sharing her vast knowledge and experience on these topics. Also big thanks to the participants for their contributions and valuable insights that greatly enriched the discussions.

By Christoffer Hals
Published Nov. 6, 2023 4:15 PM - Last modified Nov. 8, 2023 2:02 PM