Renaissance Numérique launches the “AI Dialogues”

The international governance of artificial intelligence (AI) has been the subject of intense debate over the past decade. On the one hand, AI systems offer great potential for performing tasks that improve the lives of large numbers of people around the world. On the other hand, they raise a number of questions relating to political, societal, economic, ethical, human rights, safety and environmental issues throughout their lifecycle. The issues involved call for increased vigilance and appropriate regulation to ensure responsible and ethical use of generative AI. So it’s time to think: how can we establish a framework that not only safeguards individual and collective interests, but also meets the many challenges that transcend borders? The answer undoubtedly seems to lie in robust international cooperation, the only way to forge common framework principles. This challenge requires a global response, illustrating the urgent need to rethink our approaches to the international governance of artificial intelligence. Numerous initiatives are being taken, “such as that of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which on Thursday 21 March, in its first resolution on the subject, called for the establishment of international ‘standards’ to guarantee ‘safe’ tools that respect human rights” (Le Monde, 22 March 2024). While diplomatic initiatives on AI follow one another, outlining a nascent international governance framework, the question also arises as to the effective implementation of the rules and principles it sets out.

In this context, Renaissance Numérique is launching the AI Dialogues on the international governance of AI: 3 days of ‘off-the-record’ exchanges between international experts on the subject (researchers/academics, businesses, institutions, representatives of civil society, etc.) in order to draw up recommendations for the next AI Safety Summit, to be held in Paris in early 2025.

The 3 days are structured as follows:

• Dialogue #1 – 26 April 2024 – Is an international AI governance achievable?
• Dialogue #2 – 27 June 2024 – The multiple actors of international AI governance
• Dialogue #3 – 10 October 2024 – What is the citizen’s role in the global governance of AI?

This programme, led by Renaissance Numérique, is made possible thanks to its partners: