“Digital evolution should not be a military resource but a force for good”
The UN secretary-general warned today of the dangers of using artificial intelligence for military and warlike purposes, saying that it is up to all actors in the international community to transform the potential of digital evolution into a “force of good.”
“Machines that have the power to take human lives are politically unacceptable, morally reprehensible and should be banned by International Law,” said António Guterres, speaking at the Web Summit, which started in Lisbon today.
In a speech entitled “Nurturing a digital future that is safe and beneficial for all”, the former Portuguese prime minister warned of the darker aspects of new technologies in today’s world.
One of these is the potential ability of machines to identify and target precise conflicts.
According to the UN Secretary-General, this danger must involve all actors in the international community through the creation of platforms, bringing together government representatives, academics, scientists or members of the digital community, whose main purpose is to promote technological change as a “force of good”.
The presence of António Guterres at the Web Summit is only a few days before the United Nations Internet Governance Forum held in Paris from 12 to 14 November. central theme “The Internet of Trust” (in Portuguese).
Still, on the digital divide, the UN secretary-general announced in July this year the creation of a High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, a group bringing together more than 20 leading figures in the areas of technology and of the sciences, but also at the level of politics and academic knowledge.
US philanthropist Melinda Gates and Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, founder of Asian e-commerce giant Alibaba, chair the panel.
Today’s intervention also marks the return of the former Portuguese prime minister to the central stage of the Web Summit.
António Guterres was present in the 2017 edition of the Web Summit, and then defended the need for a combination of efforts from various sectors of society to respond to the impact of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by the generalization of technology in daily life.
The technological, innovation and entrepreneurship summit Web Summit was born in 2010 in Ireland and moved to Lisbon in 2016, remaining in the Portuguese capital until 2028.
This year’s edition takes place between today and Thursday at the Altice Arena (former Meo Arena) and the Lisbon International Fair (FIL) in Lisbon.
According to the organization, in this third edition of the event in Portugal, about 70 thousand people from more than 170 countries participate
