G7: Artificial intelligence needs more rules

Further development of artificial intelligence (AI) requires additional regulations. For example, ministers from the G7, a group of seven wealthy nations including Germany and the United States, agreed to this at a summit in Japan.

In a joint statement, they say the rules should be designed to maintain an “open and stimulating environment” for this emerging technology. In doing so, the countries want to stimulate mutual discussion on “how to protect intellectual property rights, including copyright, promote transparency and combat misinformation.”

Artificial intelligence creates computer systems that come close to human intelligence. For example, chatbots like ChatGPT can write human-written texts. Although the ministerial meeting acknowledged that countries are free to come up with their own approach in this area, the G7 report appears to be an important turning point in the international debate on AI.

AI’s strong progress has come under a lot of criticism recently. More than 27,000 people worldwide have signed an open letter calling for its development to be suspended. There are fears that many will lose their jobs if more and more powerful AI systems become available. The letter also said there was a risk that these programs would be flooded with propaganda and falsehoods on the Internet.

“Pausing is not the right answer,” says French Digital Transition Minister Jean-Noël Barot. According to him, innovation should be allowed to continue, “but within certain safeguards that democracies must put in place”. The EU in Brussels is already working on a European AI law, which EU countries will decide on later this year. “The results of this G7 meeting show that we are certainly not alone in this,” said responsible European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.