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Transatlantic Approaches on Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Press Note

16-18 September 2020

 

Democratic former Heads of State and Government, Members of Club de Madrid, current Government representatives, experts and renowned scholars will analyse global challenges and offer actionable policy solutions at a transatlantic and multi-stakeholder Policy Lab on the Social Contract for the AI Age, a new social contract on digital technologies and artificial intelligence

 

Madrid, 10 September 2020. In the midst of the current COVID-19 global health emergency, has impacted all spheres of life, humanity has turned to digital technologies and artificial intelligence to face impending challenges. From remote working to financial services and medical equipment, the extent to which we now depend on technology is increasing at a staggering rate. Hospitals are using robots to disinfect rooms, governments have become reliant on complex databases to curb the virus’ spread, and programmers have designed phone apps from which we can remotely control outbreaks. Under the present circumstances, technology seems to be an ally rather than a foe. Still, increasing concern from governments, academics and civil society that this technological transformation may be outpacing policy, must not be overlooked.

In this trying context, World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) in partnership with the Boston Global Forum (BGF), and with the generous support of the Tram Huong Khanh Hoa Company (ATC), is organising the Policy Lab “ Transatlantic Approaches on Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,”. This multi-stakeholder dialogue will analyse global challenges and offer actionable policy solutions, as we consider the need to create a new social contract on digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). By contrasting North American and European best practices and perspectives, Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum aim to formulate policy recommendations and innovative ideas that will help shape the role of the multilateral system in digital governance and give way to a renewed agreement between society and governments on digitalisation.

To debate these challenges, this forthcoming Policy Lab will convene over 10 former democratic Heads of State and Government (all Members of Club de Madrid) Manuel Muñiz, Secretary of State for Global Spain, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, as well as world class experts like computer scientist and father of the Internet, Vint Cerf, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, MIT Professor Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, Governor Michael Dukakis, Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States (1988), professors of Harvard, MIT, and top universities. Together, participants will lend their experience-based critical judgement to pioneering discussions which seek, among other priorities, to identify ways of engaging different sectors of society in grounding policymaking while protecting the democratic mandate.

Safeguarding citizen rights has become imperative since technology grants substantial power to those who control it. For instance, the technology being used to track citizen movements could potentially pose a violation of privacy rights if misused or left at the hands of non-democratic governments. New communication channels have also been contributing to the rapid spread of fake news about COVID-19, which has generated disinformation and increased confusion.

All in all, the rapid rollout of digital technologies and AI beyond the control of states poses a global challenge never seen before, which is why we should not set global, regional and national standards of digital governance without the participation of all societal actors. In this sense, debates from this Policy Lab on “The Social Contract for the AI Age”, the first social contract in the digital, Internet and AI era, a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions, and for balancing centers of power, initiated by the Boston Global Forum, will pay particular attention to insights presented by government representatives, academic institutions, think tanks, tech companies and civil society.

By comparing American and European approaches in the creation of a new social contract on digitalisation, with the foresight of former democratic presidents and prime ministers, this discussion will generate a space to encourage and strengthen transatlantic cooperation around digital governance, in the framework of much needed multilateral reforms and urgent global responses to global challenges like the COVID-19 crisis. The dialogue will also serve as a platform to establish a Transatlantic Alliance for Digital Governance and the AIWS City, an all-digital virtual city based on the standards and norms of “the Social Contract for the AI Age”, “People Centered Economy”, “Trustworthy Economy” and “Intellectual Society”. Lastly, the policy discussion aims to discuss the creation of an initiative to monitor governments as well as companies in using AI and to generate an AI Ethics Index at all levels.

REGISTRATION AND FURTHER INFORMATION

Join us in this Policy Lab “Transatlantic Approaches to Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” to be held between 16-18 September.

REGISTER

For further information visit the Policy Lab website.

WEBSITE

ABOUT

World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) is the largest assembly of political leaders working to strengthen democratic values, good governance and the well-being of citizens across the globe. As a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization, its network is composed of more than 100 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from over 70 countries, together with a global body of advisors and expert practitioners, who offer their voice and agency on a pro bono basis, to today’s political, civil society leaders and policymakers. WLA-CdM responds to a growing demand for trusted advice in addressing the challenges involved in achieving ‘democracy that delivers’, building bridges, bringing down silos and promoting dialogue for the design of better policies for all. This alliance, providing the experience, access and convening power of its Members, represents an independent effort towards sustainable development, inclusion and peace, not bound by the interest or pressures of institutions and governments.

In 2019 the WLA-CdM launched a ‘Call to Action’ to promote a democratic approach to Digital Transformation and the Future of Democracy, developed during its 2019 Annual Policy Dialogue, whereby it invites world leaders to take proactive action to frame the development of digital technologies in an inclusive, fair and rights-based legal, political and social framework.

The Boston Global Forum (BGF) is a not-for-profit think tank based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its mission is to bring together, in an open and accessible public forum, an eclectic and engaging spectrum of esteemed academic leaders, real-world experts, thought leaders, media experts and promising young leaders, who are dedicated to seeking peaceful solutions to the most contentious issues of our times. An offshoot of The Boston Global Forum, The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) was born in 2015. Its mission is to generate ideas, create solutions, and deploy initiatives to solve global issues, especially initiatives in Cybersecurity and AI World Society Innovation Network (AIWS-IN)

The Artificial Intelligence World Society (AIWS) is a set of values, ideas, concepts and protocols for standards and norms whose goal is to advance the peaceful development of AI to improve the quality of life for all humanity. It was conceived by the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) and established on November 22, 2017. Read more here.

CONTACT

 

  • Further details of WLA-CdM are available by contacting Agustina Briano, Outreach and Development Coordinator of WLA-CdM: [email protected]
  • Further details of BGF and AIWS are available by contacting Tuan Anh Nguyen, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Global Forum, and Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation: [email protected]
  • For press credentials please contact Dick Pirozzolo: [email protected] / +16179594613
  • For press inquiries and/or interview requests of WLA-CdM Members, please reach Alejandro Hita, Communications Manager of WLA-CdM: [email protected] / +34607694354

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Social Contract for the AI Age

09/09/2020

Original Signatories

Governor Michael Dukakis, Boston Global Forum and

President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Latvia and World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid

Additional Signatories

Vint Cerf, Father of Internet, Google, Nazli Choucri, MIT,

Prime Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Tuan Anh Nguyen, Boston Global Forum, Thomas Patterson, Harvard University,

Alex Pentland, MIT, Marc Rotenberg, CAIDP, David Silbersweig, Harvard University

 

 

  1. A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

 

The term “artificial intelligence” refers to the development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, language translation, and self-driving cars.  Advances in AI have already altered conventional ways of seeing the world around us. This is creating new realities for everyone – as well as new possibilities.

These advances in AI are powerful in many ways. They have created a new global ecology and yet remain opaque and need to be better understood. Advances in AI raise policy issues that must be assessed. We must now focus through dialogue, tolerance, learning and understanding on key principles and practices for an agreement among members of society for shared social benefit that we call the Social Contract for the AI Age.

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence is widely recognized and could change our lives in ways yet unimagined. At the same time, without guidelines or directives, the undisciplined use of AI poses risks to the wellbeing of individuals and creates possibilities for economic, political, social, and criminal exploitation.

The international community recognizes the challenges and opportunities, as well as the problems and perils, of AI. Many countries have announced national strategies to promote the proper use and development of AI. These strategies set out common goals such as:

  • Scientific research, funding and culture,
  • Sustainable development, and inclusive growth
  • Skills, education, and talent development
  • Public and private sector adoption,
  • Fairness, transparency, and accountability
  • Ethics, values and inclusion,
  • Reliability, security and privacy,
  • Science-policy links,
  • Standards, human control and regulations
  • Data and digital infrastructure.

AI is also the focus of foreign policy and international cooperation. There is a shared view that no country will be able to compete or meet the needs of its citizens without increasing its AI capacity. As well, many countries are now engaged in technology leapfrogging. It is no longer expected, nor necessary, to replicate the stages of economic development of the West—one phase at a time.

In a world as diverse as the one today, there are few mechanisms for responding to such possibilities on a global scale. Social Contract for the AI Age is designed to establish a common understanding for policy and practices, anchored in general principles to help maximise the “good” and minimise the “bad” associated with AI. Derived from the 18th century concept of a social contract—an agreement among the members of society to cooperate for social benefits—Social Contract for the AI Age is focuses on the conditions of the 21st century. It is a response to artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, and high-speed computation.

 

Foundations

Just as earlier social contracts helped shape societies for a common purpose, the Social Contract for the AI Age has a transformative vision, one that transcends the technological features of artificial intelligence and seeks to provide foundations for a new society.  Consider, for example, how the Covid-19 pandemic urgently requires a new society with new structure and order, approach — new ways to share data and coordinate action, accelerated social reliance on digital service across businesses, education, and government services. The Social Contract for the AI Age would create standards for a new international system. It focuses on the conduct of each nation, relations with international business and not for profit entities, and the cooperation of nations.  Just as TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, the Social Contract for AI Age is a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions.

 

Objectives

The Social Contract for the AI Age seeks to build a multi-stakeholder, inclusive society in all aspects of life across politics, government, economics, business, and industry. The Social Contract for the AI Age values creation, innovation, philanthropy, and mutual respect.  It seeks the right of freedom on, and access to, the Internet worldwide.  The Social Contract for the AI Age  seeks to make the world a locus of responsible interaction—a place where every person’s contribution is recognized and everyone has a right to knowledge and access to information, where no one is above the law, where money cannot be used to subvert political process, and where integrity, knowledge, creativity, honesty, and tolerance shape decisions and guide policy.

In short, the Social Contract for the AI Age seeks to build a world where all are recognized and valued, and all forms of governance adhere to a set of values and are accountable and transparent. It is a world where global challenges are met by collective action and responsibility.

 

  1. Principles

Extensive and appropriate AI application to politics, governments, society, and businesses can create a Smart Democracy. The Social Contract for the AI Age creates a platform for a Smart Democracy society, and a new global supply chain, named Supply Chain 2020. As a framework for society in the AI age, the Social Contract 2020 is based on balancing power among governments, businesses, civil society, individuals, and AI assistants. The Social Contract for the AI Age is a commitment to protect property, common values, and collective norms.

 

  • AI must respect fundamental human rights such as human dignity, rule of law, and privacy protection.
  • AI systems must be considered from a multi-stakeholder perspective — for the individual and for society as a whole
  • The Social Contract for the AI Age is a basis to achieve sustainable and inclusive development for a global community that is fair, equitable, and prosperous. It is designed to apply the concept of a people-centered economy and to create a trustworthy AI, data, and Internet ecosystem for work and life.
  • The Social Contract for the AI Age should be transparent and accountable, and follow standards based on policies driven by trustworthy data. The UN Sustainable Development Goals data metrics and the World Economic Forum Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics, should provide citizens and organizations with reliable data that enables well-informed policy choices.
  • Communities must have control over their data. Data is the basis of self-determination and provides the ability to measure the impact of actions and policy in the AI realm.
  • Data literacy at all levels of society, together with open, trustworthy information, is the basis for an intelligent, thoughtful society.

 

 

  • Commitments of Stakeholders/ Power Centers
  • Individuals, Citizens, Groups:
  • Everyone is entitled to basic rights and dignity that are enhanced/promoted by AI.

       Data Rights and Responsibilities:

  • Each individual has the right to privacy and is entitled to access and control over their own data. Individuals have a right to manage their data, individually or collectively, and the right to withhold their data from businesses.
  • Each individual and each community must have access to a trustworthy AI, data, and Internet ecosystem to create an inclusive, fair, people-centered economy, and society.

Internet Rights:

  • Each individual has the right to access the Internet and any website or news system without restriction.
  • Freedom of expression on the Internet is guaranteed.
  • Secure digital identity allows the individual to know about, and control access to their data.

       Education and Political Participation:

Each individual has the right to education through best available venues.

  • Each individual must have access to education/knowledge/training about the use and impact of AI.
  • Each individual has the right to unimpeded political participation.
  • Everyone must have access to due process and fair trial, as well as remediation for injustice.

 

 

 

 

      Responsibility:

  • Individuals is prohibited from exercising socially disruptive behaviors, such as hacking, disseminating disinformation or online hate.
  • Individuals must contribute to the common good through appropriate taxes and provision of critical personal information (with appropriate data protection) as, for example, in the collection of census data and voting for public officials

 

 

           (2) Governments. Governments have a leading role in the Social Contract for the AI Age.

  • All government should behave responsibly in the management of AI for governance and for interactions with individuals and such behavior must be easily auditable.
  • All governments implement AI governance policies that respect honesty, transparency, fairness, and accountability. These standards and norms apply in every area of governance and are the basis for collaboration with international communities.
  • All governments create incentives for citizens to use AI in ways that benefit society (for example each person does good work for society that will be recognized as value, and this value can be exchanged with other values such as financial value, products, services, etc.).
  • All governments construct a secure, stable, and trustworthy AI, data, and Internet ecosystem for work and life to support the people-centered economy.
  • All governments ensure that communities are able take control of their data and use AI with their data so that they can manage their community to suit their needs and to create prosperity for themselves and their family.
  • All governments establish norms, rules and pass laws to ensure AI benefits society.
  • All governments create secure safety net for citizens in a trustworthy AI, data, and Internet ecosystem for work and life.
  • All governments protect intellectual property rights without undermining free access to the information commons.

         Collaborations between governments: 

  • Norms, values and standards of the Social Contract for the AI Age are designed as connections among governments. To maintain the Social Contract for the AI Age, it is essential for countries to establish a Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance. All governments should work to promote the Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance.

         United Nations and International Organizations:

  • The United Nations should extend international human rights standards for AI, and create a UN Convention on AI and establish a specialized UN Agency on AI.

 

  • Business Entities. Business operations and related rights come with accountability and responsibility – nationally and internationally. Business must:
  • Enable independent audits for transparency, fairness, accountability, and cybersecurity.
  • Adopt common AI values, standards, norms, and data ownership rules with penalties for noncompliance.
  • Companies will be incentivized to do business only with companies and countries that uphold the Social Contract for the AI Age and endorse Supply Chain 2020.
  • Collaborate with governments and civil society to help create a people-centered AI, data, and Internet ecosystem, to create trustworthy and relevant data, and to use AI to share wealth with individuals and communities.

 

  • Civil Society Organizations & Community. Rights and responsibilities of civil society organizations include:
  • Monitor governments and firms with respect to common values.
  • Promote common values, norms, standards, and laws.
  • Support AI users and assist them to serve the broad interests of society.
  • Collaborate with governments, business entities, and others to create a people-centered AI, data, and Internet ecosystem for work and life, enabling all people can create meaningful data, value, and create value-based wealth for their community.
  • Enable data cooperatives—the voluntary collaborative pooling by individuals of their personal data for the benefit of the group or community.
  • Participate in the making of AI rules and norms.
  • Enhance civil society become an intelligent, thoughtful civil society based on knowledge, smart data, critical thinking and social responsibility; and through the achievement of data literacy, to become a trusted open-data system, with validated, predictive AI tools that communities to plan their future.

(5) AI Assistants. AI assistants provide an interface to facilitate compliance with established standards.

  • Support AI users and assist them to serve the broad interests of society.
  • Engage with other power centers for mutual support and supervision.
  • Community control: AI assistants should be governed by communities of users.

 

 

  1. The Social Contract for the AI Age will be implemented as follows:
  • The promulgation of a Code of Ethics for AI Developers and AI Users.
  • The creation of a system to monitor and evaluate governments, companies, and individuals (based on their contribution to maintaining norms, standards, common values, and international laws for honesty, transparency, accountability, and responsibility).
  • The recognition of the Social Contract for the AI Age by the United Nations, governments, companies, civil society and the international AI community.
  • The establishment of a United Nations Convention on Artificial Intelligence to obligate governments and others to comply with international rules and norms to protect rights in AI age.
  • The development of the Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance as the global authority to enforce the Social Contract for the AI Age.
  • The creation of the “AIWS City”—an all-digital virtual city based on the standards and norms of “the Social Contract for the AI Age”, “People Centered Economy”, “Trustworthy Economy”, “AI-Government”, and “Intellectual Society-Thoughtful Civil Society”.

Download PDF here

Social Contract for the AI Age is now open for signature by others HERE

The History of AI: Stories about Frank Ramsey

May 26, 2020

“Frank Ramsey—a philosopher, economist, and mathematician—was one of the greatest minds of the last century. Have we caught up with him yet?” By Anthony Gottlieb
Professor Judea Pearl, Mentor of AIWS.net, said: “Ramsey was definitely one of the clearest forerunners of subjective probabilities and the revival of Bayes statistics in the 20th century, which influenced the 1970-90 debate on how to represent uncertainty in AI systems.”

The History of AI at AIWS.net sees Frank Ramsey as an AI figure in history, who has indirect influence on AI, especially in causal inference.

In late April, 2020, the book “Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers” by Professor Cheryl Misak was published. She will talk about this new book at the History of AI, AIWS.net:
“Stories of Frank Ramsey, A Sheer Excess of Powers”

Time: 10;00 am – 11:00 am, EDT, June 6, 2020

Livestream here

This talk is an event of AIWS House, the History of AI.

AIWS House will host at least one talk a month to discuss historical figures, events, and achievements in AI through online or offline. This is a part of the History of AI at AIWS.net. Moderators will be thought leaders and media leaders. The content of talk belongs to and is recognized as the content of the History of AI at AIWS.net.

Cheryl Misak is University Professor and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. She works on American pragmatism, the history of analytic philosophy, ethics and political philosophy, and the philosophy of medicine.

Her books include Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers, Cambridge Pragmatism, The American Pragmatists, Truth and the End of Inquiry, and Truth, Politics, Morality.

She has had visiting fellowships or positions at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, the Free University in Berlin, Trinity College Cambridge, St. John’s College Cambridge, and New York University.

In 2013 she completed a long run in academic administration at the University of Toronto, culminating as Vice-President and Provost.

Professor Judea Pearl, UCLA, Member of the History of AI Board, Professor Nazli Choucri, MIT, Member of the History of AI Board, Professor David Silbersweig, Harvard, Member of the History of AI Board, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of Michael Dukakis Institute, Member of the History of AI Board, Professor Mikhail Kupriyanov, Vice President of ETU”LETI”, Russia, Professor Kirill Krinkin, Director of Popov Institute, ETU”LETI”, Mr. Barry Nolan, six times Emmy Award, Professor Tran Van Nhung, Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, Ms. Ta Bich Loan, Chief of VTV3, will discuss with Professor Cheryl Misak about “ Frank Ramsey, A Sheer Excess of Powers”.

Agenda:
10:00 am: Professor Nazli Choucri introduces the History of AI at AIWS.net
Ms. Ta Bich Loan introduces Professor Cheryl Misak
10:08 am: Professor Cheryl Misak talks about Frank Ramsey
10:30 am: Q&A, Moderated by Ms. Ta Bich Loan
10:50 am: Professor Kirill Krinkin introduces the AIWS Leadership Master Program
11:00 am: Conclusion.

The AI Chronicle and AIWS House start today, June 6, 2020

The Social Contract 2020, A New Social Contract in the Age of AI, sets the foundation for a new
historical chapter: the emergence of AI societies. Governor Michael Dukakis stressed the importance
of studying history to prevent past mistakes from repeating in the present and the future. I value his
insight and would like to add that looking back at history is a way to shape and invent the future. We
should not content ourselves with merely predicting the future; with AI as our tools, we can strive to
innovate and organize it.

With that idea in mind, AIWS.net announced May 5, 2020, a new project—The History of AI—as a
companion to the Social Contract 2020, A New Social Contract in the Age of AI. While many
individuals and organizations study the history of AI already, AIWS will study the field from a
different angle and with a different approach. Our approach will be cross-sectional with the
following structure:

1. Principles, concepts, motivating ideas, methodology, model, and solutions in AI.
2. AI inventions in science and technology
3. AI applications, initiatives in politics, government, economics, and society.

Today June 6, 2020, The History of AI, a part of Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and
Innovation, starts post content of the AI Chronicle on AI World Society Network (AIWS.net). This
content is the AI Chronicle – Open to Feedback: we encourage to receive comments, feedbacks from
today June 6, 2020 to June 27, 2020, then the History of AI Board will review, approve and the AI
Chronicle – Official will be posted on July 1, 2020. The History of AI Board will review the AI
Chronicle biannual. Our approach is open-ended: based on our findings, we will develop research on
the History of AI’s criteria, and we are open to invite individuals and organizations to contribute,
comment to the project by gathering documents, stories and participating in analysis.

As a part of the History of AI, the AIWS House organizes talks, seminars about pioneering ideas,
concepts, methodologies, products, historical figures, events, achievements in AI, and presents them
in the AIWS House Online, and physics.

Today, as an event of AIWS House, the History of AI, Cheryl Misak, a University Professor and
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto will talk “Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of
Powers”. The History of AI at AIWS.net sees Frank Ramsey as an AI figure in history, who has
indirect influence on AI, especially in causal inference.

AIWS Leadership Master Program, the first leadership master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence

From: Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University ETU “LETI”, and Michael Dukakis Institute

Saint Petersburg, May 26, 2020

AIWS Leadership Master Program, the first leadership master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence

The Faculty of the AIWS Leadership Master Program

 Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University ETU “LETI” and the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation officially launch the AIWS Leadership Master’s Degree Program at Alexander Popov International Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Communications. The program will begin receiving applicants from June 6, 2020 (http://etu.ai/masters_program).

This is a one-year master program taught both by online and offline, in Saint Petersburg and Boston. It aims to attract global students who would like to become leaders in the Age of AI.

Faculty includes co-founders and mentors of AI World Society Innovation Network (AIWS.net) such as Governor Michael Dukakis, Distinguished Professor of Northeastern University and UCLA, Co-founder and Chairman of the Michael Dukakis Institute, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Co-founder and Director of Michael Dukakis Institute, Professor Judea Pearl, Turing Award, UCLA, Professor Thomas Patterson, Harvard University, Professor David Silbersweig, Harvard University, Professor Alex Pentland, MIT, Professor Nazli Choucri, MIT, etc. From the ETU side faculty includes Prof Michael Kupriyanov; Prof. Yulia Shichkina; Prof Nikolay Vasiliev; Adj. Prof Olga Bureneva; Adj. Professor, Director Popov’s Institute Kirill Krinkin.

The program applies new concepts in leadership education: to give opportunities for students practice as a real leader with knowledge and principles in the Age of AI, they will be taught to apply causal inference and AI to build decision making systems for governments in AI-Government and AI-Citizen. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute said: “Students will be invited to join the AIWS Young Leaders community and will have opportunities to apply the principles of the Social Contract 2020 to shape a peaceful, safe, effective, and smart world in the AI Age, as well as attend AI-government, AI-citizen and pioneering projects at AIWS.net. They will be set on ambitious tasks to create a strategic concept in the field of artificial intelligence. Students will be transformed into innovators and charismatic leaders to attract and inspire people build a better world with AI. The Michael Dukakis Institute and AIWS.net will support them throughout their careers.”

Kirill Krinkin, director of the Alexander Popov International Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Communications, said: “Participation in AIWS Leadership Master program will provide participants the cutting-edge knowledge and global strategic view on AI technology challenges. After passing this program students became a world leader who will build the future”.

Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation:

The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) is co-founded and chaired by Governor Michael Dukakis, three-term governor of Massachusetts, Democratic presidential candidate in 1988,

With the mission of generating ideas, creating solutions, and deploying initiatives to solve global issues, especially focused on Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.

As a part of MDI, AIWS Innovation Network (AIWS.net) was official launched on Global Cybersecurity Day, December 12 at Loeb House, Harvard University. The seven co-founders are Governor Michael Dukakis, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Professors Alex Pentland, Nazli Choucri (MIT), Thomas Patterson, David Silbersweig.

(Harvard), Christo Wilson (Northeastern). The Network is sponsored by Massachusetts Government and MIT Connection Science.

AIWS Innovation Network (AIWS.net) includes distinguished thinkers, inventors, and innovators from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Oxford, Cambridge, etc., and world leaders.

Further details are available by contacting Mr. Tuan Anh Nguyen, Cofounder and Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation.

Mr. Nguyen may be reached at [email protected].

 

Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University ETU “LETI”:

Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” is one of the world’s largest education centers specializing in radio engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and computer science. Alexander Popov International Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Communications was created in 2019 in order to emphasize artificial intelligence research area which has been developed in the University for over 40 years. Starting from the 1970s till the 1990s, it dealt with threshold logic, neural network components, cooperation between automated devices, AI systems in computer-aided design, image and signal recognition. In 1991, the Institute for Complex System Simulation and Intellectualization was established at LETI to conduct fundamental and applied research in the field of AI. In 1990-2000, research was centered around intelligent self-repairing systems based on fuzzy modeling and neural network control systems. Cryptographic information security techniques were implemented in industry and banking.   ETU “LETI” has achieved a lot in applying AI in autonomous unmanned vehicle control.  ETU “LETI” researchers have been working on neurochip architectures. Notable results have been achieved jointly with colleagues from the RAS Institute of Human Brain and Pavlov Institute of Physiology.

 Further details are available by contacting Kirill Krinkin, Director of the Alexander Popov International Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Communications.

Kirill Krinkin may be reached at [email protected]

 

Framework For Social Contract 2020, A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Version 1.0, 05/05/2020

Nazli Choucri, Michael Dukakis, Tuan Anh Nguyen, Thomas Patterson, Alex Pentland, Nghia Trong Pham, David Silbersweig

 

I.            A  New Social Contract in the age of Artificial Intelligence

The term “artificial intelligence” refers to the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, translation between languages, self-driving cars, and so forth.  Almost everyone recognizes that advances in AI have already altered conventional ways of viewing the world around us. This is creating new realities for everyone – as well as new possibilities.

These advances are powerful in many ways. They have created a new global ecology; yet they remain opaque and must be better understood. We have created new tradeoffs that must be assessed. We must now focus on critical principles and essential supporting practices for the new and emerging Social Contract 2020.

We must now re-think and consolidate the best practices for human development, recognizing the power and value of the individual and of society.

The expansion of innovations in and uses of Artificial Intelligence in almost all segments of human activity is well recognized, and it is evident that these will continue to change our lives in ways that we are yet able to imagine. At the same time, without some broad contours of guidelines or directives, undisciplined use of AI entails a number of significant risks to the health and wellbeing of individuals – damages to life-supporting properties, opaque decision-making, gender-based or other kinds of discrimination, control over private lives, and exploitation for criminal purposes – and seriously threatens the stability and security of all societies everywhere.

There is a clear awareness in the international community of the challenges and opportunities, as well as the problems and perils, of AI and many are seeking ways of managing their approach to AI. At least 20 countries have announced formal strategies to promote the use and development of AI. No two strategies are alike; however, there are common themes even among countries who focus on different aspects of AI policy. The most common themes addressed pertain to:

  • Scientific research,
  • Talent development,
  • Skills and education,
  • Public and private sector adoption,
  • Ethics and inclusion,
  • Standards and regulations, and
  • Data and digital infrastructure.

Concurrently, AI is becoming a focus of foreign policy and international cooperation – for both developed and developing states. There is a shared view that no country will be able to compete or meet the needs of its citizens without substantial AI capability.

More important, many countries are now involved in technology leapfrogging rather than in replicating known trajectories of the past century. It is no longer expected, nor is it necessary, to replicate the stages of economic development of the West—one phase at a time. Countries now frame their own priorities and strategies.

In sum, all countries are going through a common experience of adapting to and managing unknowns.  This commonality of shared elements results in a welcoming international atmosphere for a Social Contract 2020.

In a world as diverse as the one today, there are few mechanisms for responding to such possibilities on a global scale. Social Contract 2020 is designed to frame a common understanding anchored in general principles to help maximise the “good” and minimise the “bad” associated with AI. Derived from the general concept of social contract in the 18th century—and its various manifestations and formulations—Social Contract 2020 is framed in response to the new conditions of the 21st Century. The fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, and high-speed computation – and the innovations thereof.

 

Foundations

Just as the Social Contract of the 18th Century helped shape a new world, Social Contract 2020 also has a transformative vision: It transcends the technological features of artificial intelligence per se, and seeks to provide foundations for a new society — one based on the profound, widespread, ethical and just application of AI.  (Note, for example, how the Covid-19 pandemic urgently requires a new society with new structure and order). Social Contract 2020 lays the foundation and standards for a new international system; it focuses on the conduct of each nation, relations with non-state actors (such as international business and not for profit entities), and the interconnection of nations (and their relations with organized entities) on a worldwide basis.  While TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, Social Contract 2020 can be seen as a platform for connection between governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions.

 

Objective

The overall objective of Social Contract 2020 is to help build a multi-stakeholder AI- intensive society in all aspects of life from politics, governments, economics, business, and industry, all the way to the social order and the life of each individual. Social Contract 2020 eencourages everyone to value the acts of creation, innovation, philanthropy, and mutual respect.  It seeks the respect and right to have freedom on, and access to, the Internet worldwide.  The vision of Social Contract 2020 is to make our world a place of honest and responsible interaction. That means, a place where everyone’s contribution is recognized and everyone has a right to knowledge and access to information, where no one is above the law, where money cannot be used to subvert political process, and were integrity, knowledge, creativity, honesty and kindness are seen as key values in shaping decision and policy.

In short, Social Contract 2020 is for shaping a world where all stakeholders are recognized, and all forms of governance adhere these values and are accountable and transparent. It is a world where only by working together it is possible to address and resolve global challenges.

II.            Principles 

Extensive and appropriate AI application to politics, governments, society, and businesses can create a Smart Democracy supporting a global supply chain. The Smart Democracy Social Contract 2020 creates a platform for a new global supply chain, named Supply Chain 2020. As a critically important framework for society in the AI age, the Social Contract 2020 is based on balancing power among all stakeholders and among governments, businesses, civil society, individuals, and AI assistants. Being an important contract, the Social Contract 2020 is a commitment of main stakeholders to protect property, common values, and norms for good between nations.

 

a.  AI is grounded in and must serve fundamental human rights such as human dignity and privacy protection.

b.  AI systems must be considered from a multi-stakeholder perspective — for an individual and for society as a whole

c.  Social Contract 2020 is an important tool to achieve sustainable and inclusive development for a global community that is fair, equitable, effective and prosperous.

d.  It will also enhance prospects for Smart Democracy.

 

III.          Commitments of Stakeholders/ Power Centers

(1)  Individuals, Citizens, Groups:

·       Everyone is entitled to basic rights and dignity that are enhanced/promoted by AI and the Internet Age and entail greater responsibilities.

Data Rights and Responsibilities:

·       Each individual has the right to privacy and is entitled to access and control over their own data. Individuals have a right to organize ways of managing their data, individually or collectively, and the right not to hand in their data to businesses.

Internet Rights:

·       Each individual has the right to access the Internet and any website or news system (recognized by governments of countries or not).

·       Freedom of expression on the Internet.

·       Secure digital identity, which allows the individual to know about and control access to trustworthy data about themselves.

 

Education and Political Participation:

·       Each individual has the right to education through available venues.

·       Each individual has access to education/knowledge/vocational training pertaining to the use and impact of AI.

·       Each individual has the right to political participation.

              Responsibility:

·       Each individual is prohibited from exercising socially disruptive behaviors, such as hacking and disseminating disinformation.

·       Each individual must contribute to the common health of society, through appropriate taxes and provide critical personal information (with appropriate safety guarantees) as is familiar in the collection of census data

 

(2)  Governments:

·       All government are expected to behave responsibly in the management of AI for governance and for interactions with individuals and such behavior must be easily auditable.

·       Respect and implement AI governance of honesty, transparency, accountability to effect collaboration with international communities. These standards and norms are also to be applied in every area of governance.

·       Create incentives for citizens to use AI in ways that benefit society (each person can do good work for society that will be recognized as value, and this value can be exchanged with other values such as financial value, products, services, etc.).

·       Create norms/laws/rules to ensure AI benefits society.

·       Create secure safety net for citizens affected by AI.

·       Protect and promote IP rights without undermining movements toward free access of knowledge commons.

Connect between governments: 

·       Norms, values and standards of Social Contract 2020 are designed as connections among governments. To maintain the Social Contract 2020, it is essential to establish a Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance. The first countries of the Alliance should include US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, India, Australia, Japan.

United Nations and International Organizations:

·       Extend the spheres of  international organizations  to include AI and extend the upholding of international standards/norms/practices pertaining thereto — UN Convention on AI, a Specialized UN Agency on AI.

(3) Business Entities. Business operations and related rights come with accountability and responsibility – nationally and internationally:

·       Enable independent audits for honest transparency, fairness, accountability, and cybersecurity.

·       Adopt common AI values, standards, norms, and data ownership rules, and expect penalties for noncompliance.

·       Companies will be incentivized to do business only with companies and countries that respect, apply the Social Contract 2020, and Supply Chain 2020.

(4) Civil Society Organizations & Community. Rights and responsibilities of civil society organizations include;

·       Monitoring governments and firms with respect to common values.

·       Compliance with common values/norms/standards/laws.

·       Support AI users and assist them to serve the broad interests of society.

·       Create multi-stakeholder AI support and protection plans.

·       Participate in the making of AI rules and norms.

(5) AI Assistants. AI assistants provide an interface to facilitate compliance with established standards.

·       Support AI users and assist them to serve the broad interests of society.

·       Engage with other power centers for mutual support and supervision.

·       Community control: Behavior of assistants should be governed by communities of users.

 

IV.          Implementation

·      Ethics code for AI makers and AI users.

·      A system to monitor and evaluate governments, companies, and individuals in the world (based on their contribution to maintaining norms, standards, common values, and international laws, for honesty, transparency, accountability, and responsibility with the world and in their nations and communities).

·      This system is recognized by the United Nations and the international AI community.

·      A New United Nations AI Convention established to obligate all stakeholders, including governments, to comply with international rules and norms to protect other stakeholder’s rights in AI age.

·      Link compliance with AI rules and norms to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

·      Build and develop Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance as global power to enforce the Social Contract 2020.

Download The Social Contract 2020, version 1.0, 5-5-2020 here 

Michael Dukakis Institute launches the History of Artificial Intelligence project

BOSTON, MA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / May 05, 2020 / Today, May 5, 2020, the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation officially launches the History of Artificial Intelligence project.

Topics for the History of Artificial Intelligence Project:

  • Historical events, achievements, and figures in AI technology are some of the topics of this project. These topics below will be included as well:Ideology, Ideas, Initiatives, Solutions, Norms, Standards, Laws, Regulations, Conventions, Accords, Political Decisions of AI by nations.
  • International Ideology, Ideas, Initiatives, Solutions, Norms, Standards, Laws, Regulations, Conventions, Accords, and Political Decisions of AI.
  • How AI change, innovate, and reform politics, societies, and economics.
  • Activities, campaigns related to AI.

“The History of AI” at AIWS.net has the subsections:

+ The AI Chronicle: updated monthly.

+ The AIWS House: (both online and physical AIWS House at Boston, Riga, Saint Petersburg, and at Dalat University).

The History of Artificial Intelligence will be updated monthly and posted on AIWS.net (“The AI Chronicle” of the section “the History of AI”). In addition, there will also be books, papers, and the AIWS House. HAI will contain historical documents and stories about historical figures, events, and achievements in AI.

The HAI Board is chaired by Governor Michael Dukakis, with Professor Nazli Choucri (MIT), Historian Chien Minh Le, President of Dalat University, Professor Ole Molvig (Vanderbilt University), Tuan Anh Nguyen (Michael Dukakis Institute), Professor Thomas Patterson (Harvard University), Professor Judea Pearl (UCLA), Professor Alex Pentland (MIT), Professor David Silbersweig (Harvard University), and President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvia as members.

Governor Michael Dukakis said on March 10, 2020 at UCLA: “study history to avoid mistakes from the past, learn great lessons from history for today and tomorrow”. The mission of HAI is to do so, in addition to shaping a better future and encouraging people to contribute to it. Anyone can make history with their helpful, pioneering, or influential contributions. HAI encourages those who lack good conditions or environment, who are not get benefit of official works in this, but are passionate and contribute and have pioneering results, works.

 

About Us

 

Founded in 2012, The Boston Global Forum (BGF) is a not-for-profit think tank based in Boston, Massachusetts. Our mission is to bring together, in an open and accessible public forum, an eclectic and engaging spectrum of esteemed academic leaders, real-world experts, thought leaders, media experts and promising young leaders, who are dedicated to seeking peaceful solutions to the most contentious issues of our times.

As an offshoot of The Boston Global Forum, The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) was born in 2015 with the mission of generating ideas, creating solutions, and deploying initiatives to solve global issues, especially focused on Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.

Further details are available by contacting Mr. Tuan Anh Nguyen, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Global Forum, and Director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation.

Mr. Nguyen may be reached at [email protected].

                

CONTACTS

Dick Pirozzolo

Dick Pirozzolo

Dick Pirozzoolo

[email protected]Pirozzolo Company Public Relations

Phone: 617-959-4613

www.bostonglobalforum.org

LINKS

AIWS Summit 2020: Speech by Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament


AIWS Summit 2020: Speech by Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament

April 28, 2020

Anf. Andreas Norlén, AI World Society Summit 2020, the Boston Global Forum and World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid

———————–

Governor Dukakis,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen

As the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today. I can only regret that I cannot be with you in person, but given the current circumstances, that is obviously not an option. And let me on behalf of the Swedish Parliament express my sympathy to the people of the United States and to all other countries represented at the conference for all the hardship and the suffering that this corona crisis has caused.

Today, some 3 billion people use social media. That is in itself a good thing; the advantages of more and more people going online, learning new things, exchanging ideas, criticizing political policies or interacting is something the world as a whole will greatly benefit from.

The problem of course is that everyone online is not honest and everyone is not our friend. There are many attempts to hack our systems and also to hack people’s minds. Thera are strong players who are very interested in what we do on the internet, and algorithms can track people’s actions online and then offer tailor made news that they think you want and provide you with either fake news or very biased news in order to make you think or vote or act in a certain way. Often the aim is to question our common values such as democracy, rule of law or personal freedom.

We have all heard about how elections in democratic countries have been exposed to this. For this reason, the awareness was quite high in Sweden when we had our last parliamentary elections in 2018.

Much to our surprise, no significant external organized hostile influence operations were detected. Maybe the most important advice on how to protect oneself from cyber-attacks, disinformation and organized hostile influence is: public awareness. As long as the public is aware that they run the risk of falling victim to those kinds of attacks, I think much has been won.

Do some news items seem too good to be true? Or maybe too bad to be true? Think again before you share them on social media. That is a very good advice.

I know it isn’t always easy to apply these virtues, but slowly but surely, I think the Swedes are getting better at this. Since 2016, it is mandatory for government agencies to report serious IT incidents. There are also many different agencies closely cooperating to detect cyber-attacks and hostile disinformation campaigns.

The role the parliament can play in this respect would be to facilitate the cooperation as much as possible, to stay alert and to also engage the public on how to behave on social media and on how to handle hostile disinformation campaigns.  Even weak signals that something is going on are important. We must stay vigilante so that we can counter and handle hostile attacks.

There is also the strictly technological part – and I may not be the right person to elaborate on that in detail – but there are systems based on artificial intelligence that can expose influence operations. They include the use of algorithms to detect automated behaviour and hijacked user accounts. With this technology, you can detect potential deceptions in the large amount of data that is produced in social media every day.

It is hard to find a subject that is of greater importance to our democracies than safeguarding elections and making them legitimate, including safeguarding the public discourse and trying to keep it sound and balanced.

I think that the greatest challenge to any election is public trust. As politicians in democracies, we are all in the so-called confidence business. If the voter confidence is lost or even weakened, we are on a slippery slope. As we all know, confidence is something that takes quite a while to build, but it can be lost very easily.

In Sweden we have traditionally taken pride in having a society with comparatively high confidence between people and for the institutions. According to a recent survey, the Swedish Parliament enjoys higher confidence than many other actors and organizations in the Swedish society and I think that is a very good thing for our democracy. We also have a high voter turnout, 87 percent voted in the last parliamentary elections in 2018. That also indicates that people trust the institutions. Thanks to this trust, it is easier to have meaningful conversations also online and I believe it is harder to manipulate people’s minds.

By raising awareness both among the public and among civil servants, we managed to conduct our last elections in relative peace and protect our democracy and our common values, such as free and fair elections, human rights and the rule of law.

Increased awareness demands education. The more educated we are, the better we can, hopefully, detect fake news and biased information.

Education also applies to the new social contract in the age of artificial intelligence. New technology means automation in the workplace and that workers risk losing their jobs. Again, education and retraining are key. In Sweden, we talk more and more about “lifelong learning” – meaning that you are never really fully trained. In a society dependent on high technology you just have to accept that technology develops so fast, you will always lag behind – if you are not offered the proper training. For this reason, I believe that education must play a vital role for us to handle the new challenges in the new era.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For me as the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament it is a priority to follow developments in the scientific field. That task is probably more crucial today than ever before. For this reason, I am looking forward to your World Society Summit and the conclusions that will be drawn. I am also looking forward also to following the discussion that will take place after this summit.

Let us all engage in this important dialogue about how best to handle technology in this new world.

Please, ladies and gentlemen, your excellencies, stay safe and I hope we will meet in person in the future.

Thank you very much!