Understanding Public Concerns: UN and AI Challenges

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has grown exponentially in recent years, raising important questions about its ethical use, impact on jobs, security implications, and applications in healthcare. To gauge public sentiment on these issues, I opened a survey on this platform, asking respondents to identify the most pressing challenges the United Nations should focus on regarding AI. The results offer valuable insights.

1. AI Ethics and Bias (44%)

Topping the list of concerns is AI ethics and bias. A significant 44% of respondents believe that the UN should prioritize addressing the ethical considerations and potential biases in AI technologies. This indicates a strong desire for AI development and deployment to be conducted in a way that is transparent, fair, and respects fundamental human rights.

Fortunately, the UN has already started working in this area. For example, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has initiated projects and frameworks to address AI ethics, promoting guidelines for the development of AI that align with human rights, including principles such as fairness, accountability, and transparency. The Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence was adopted at UNESCO’s General Conference in 2021 and remains the product of probably the broadest, thus far, global consultation of expert, developers, and other stakeholders from all around the world.

2. AI Impact on Jobs (26%)

Job displacement and the impact of AI on the workforce are key concerns for 26% of respondents who want the UN to take a proactive role in addressing these challenges. This priority emphasizes the need to ensure that AI technologies are harnessed to benefit the workforce rather than harm it.

Another UN specialized agency, International Labour Organization (ILO), is at the forefront of research and policy guidance on how AI and automation affect the workforce. Just weeks ago, ILO presented a study on Generative AI and Jobs: A global analysis of potential effects on job quantity and quality that suggests that most jobs and industries are more likely to be complemented rather than substituted by the latest wave of AI and that its socioeconomic impacts will depend on how its diffusion is managed. Interestingly, for this study ILO had to use ChatGPT: but only to generate the list of abbreviations.

3. AI in Security (19%)

The poll also highlights that 19% of respondents are deeply interested in the UN's role in addressing AI-related security issues. This category encompasses discussions on the use of AI in military applications, cybersecurity, and the regulation of autonomous weapons.

Concerns in this area stem from the potential risks associated with AI's role in national and global security and are shared by the UN leadership as acutely as by the broader public. Earlier this month, the Secretary-General of United Nations Secretary-General joined the President of International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC in a landmark joint appeal calling on States to establish new international rules on autonomous weapons systems by 2026. United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research plays crucial role providing research and expertise, and warning about the dangers of automated weapon systems and cyber operations.

4. AI in Healthcare (11%)

AI in healthcare could involve improvements in diagnostics, treatment, and healthcare management. While healthcare represents a significant area of AI application, it received the lowest percentage of votes in the poll, with 11%. This suggests that, while respondents are interested in the potential benefits of AI in healthcare, other concerns take precedence.

World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the use of AI in healthcare for tasks such as disease surveillance, diagnostics, and health data management. Two years ago WHO issued guidelines on Ethics and Governance of AI for Health and proposed six core principles, based on which AI can maximize the promise of the technology: (1) protect autonomy; (2) promote human well-being, human safety, and the public interest; (3) ensure transparency, explainability, and intelligibility; (4) foster responsibility and accountability; (5) ensure inclusiveness and equity; (6) promote AI that is responsive and sustainable.

But this is not all

While the number of survey participants might have been not very large (145 votes), it did reveal some sex-disaggregated differences.

Both male and female participants unanimously selected AI Ethics and Bias as the most important priority for the UN. However, female survey participants were much more concerned about AI in Security which for them came as more important priority ahead of AI impact on jobs or in healthcare. I am open to various interpretation of these results and will welcome the readers' comments. Overall, I believe it will be very important to always remember -- and counter -- that AI can reinforce structural hierarchies based on gender roles or, as some studies already suggest, have disproportionate impact on jobs held by women.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the survey. Many have voted, others added comments, and few reached out to me privately.

As AI continues to shape our world, it is crucial that international organizations take into account the diverse range of concerns and prioritize actions that align with the needs and expectations of the global community. Given the already solid record of thought leadership, I am confident that the UN will continue to play a vital role in ensuring that AI is harnessed for the greater good of humanity.

Final-final note

Few years ago the organization that I lead, United Nations Volunteers , started using AI for service desk and candidate-matching, and by now its Unified Volunteering Platform is fully AI-powered. While we already benefit from operational efficiencies, at this time it might be a bit too early to trumpet the results nor to draw full lessons. The articles written by Avetis Avagyan two years apart (here and here, the first one jointly with Haeyeon Alice Jeong ) may convey a sense, though, of a learning and an increasingly AI-mature organization. Or, as Frederic Le Maistre wrote recently, how we start small, showcase shared outcomes, continuously refine and then repeat.

In the end, as ILO said in their study, “outcomes of the technological transition are not pre-determined. It is humans that are behind the decision to incorporate such technologies and it is humans that need to guide the transition”.