GENEVA: Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the chief of the UN telecoms agency, expressed concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on societies during a press conference on March 7. While acknowledging the potential benefits of AI, she highlighted her primary worry about the large number of people worldwide who still lack access to digital technologies. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that approximately 2.6 billion individuals remain offline and disconnected from the advantages brought by digital technology.
Bogdan-Martin emphasized the urgency of addressing this digital divide, stating, “They have never, ever connected to the Internet. That is what keeps me up at night because if you’re not part of the digital world, then you’re not part of the AI world. This is really one of the biggest challenges of our generation.” To combat this issue, the United Nations is striving to raise US$100 billion by 2026 to close the global digitalization gap.
Despite this ambitious goal, Bogdan-Martin noted that a significantly larger amount is required to fully bridge the divide. She underscored the increasing significance of the gap with the rapid advancement of generative AI technology, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in areas such as climate change, poverty alleviation, education, and healthcare.
While acknowledging the opportunities presented by AI, she also highlighted the risks associated with its widespread integration. Bogdan-Martin cautioned that emerging technologies like AI could be utilized to undermine trust in elections and institutions, threaten job security, compromise privacy, and pose risks to the future.
As the world prepares for a year filled with crucial elections, she urged for greater vigilance in managing and mitigating these risks. One day ahead of International Women’s Day, Bogdan-Martin drew attention to the gender bias prevalent in the algorithms powering popular AI tools.
A recent study by UNESCO revealed clear evidence of bias against women in algorithms used by prominent tech companies like OpenAI and Meta. She noted the concerning lack of representation of women in the field of technology, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
As the first woman to serve as ITU secretary-general in its long history, she stressed the importance of increasing female participation and representation in the tech industry. Women currently account for a disproportionate share of the offline population and are underrepresented in fields like AI, quantum technology, and space exploration.
Bogdan-Martin emphasized the need for more women to be involved in decision-making processes related to data and algorithms, stating, “When it comes to the data, the algorithms, we need to have more women at the table.” She called for immediate action to rectify the gender imbalance in AI and related fields to ensure a more inclusive and equitable future. – AFP
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