The launch of this Group, which held its first meeting at the ambassadorial level at the headquarters of the United States Mission in the American metropolis, comes following the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the first UN resolution on AI initially co-sponsored by Morocco and the United States, as well as by 123 member states until the day of its adoption.
This historic resolution defines a global consensus on Artificial Intelligence to support sustainable development.
The choice of Morocco to co-chair this Group of Friends with the United States indicates the credibility, trust and respect enjoyed by the Kingdom of Morocco at the UN and international level, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Hilale underlined the need to capitalize on the momentum created by the UN General Assembly resolution in order to launch a platform allowing countries to galvanize efforts in digital cooperation, particularly in this context. which concerns artificial intelligence.
This is an initiative to discuss common goals and possible contributions across this Group as well as the promises that the field of artificial intelligence offers and its impact on sustainable development in all its dimensions, noted the ‘ambassador.
“If used effectively and ethically, AI proves to be an engine that can help advance development, and even accelerate the implementation of the SDGs,” Mr. Hilale further explained.
The Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN further indicated that the countries of the South, particularly African ones, need all the tools, including AI, to help them accelerate the implementation of the objectives of sustainable development.
It is in this context that Morocco will encourage many developing countries to become actively involved in this Group of Friends, with a view to developing a balanced approach to this new technology, underlined Mr. Hilale, recalling that the Kingdom, aware of the enormous potential of AI for Africa, hosted the first high-level African forum on artificial intelligence two weeks ago in Rabat, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Following the G7, G20, Bletchley Park and Seoul summits, the continental ambition of this High-Level Forum is to integrate Africa into the global conversation on AI, emphasizing that an African path is possible without it being detached from the major international players.
For her part, the Ambassador Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN praised the partnership between Morocco and her country, as well as the leadership role that the Kingdom played in the efforts leading to the launch of this Group of Friends.
She indicated that the creation of this Group aims to mobilize efforts to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs, helping to eradicate hunger and poverty, advance gender equality and economic growth, while combating the climate crisis.
For the American ambassador, this initiative aims to initiate discussions on a future “where rights-respecting AI systems will be safe, secure and trustworthy”.
She noted that the Future Summit in September “reminds us that the United Nations has a duty to bring about meaningful change and new ambition for sustainable development for present and future generations.”
This Group of Friends will count on the institutional support of UNESCO and the International Communications Union (ITU) based respectively in Paris and Geneva and which together ensure the co-presidency of the working group of the United Nations system. United on artificial intelligence.
2024-10-05 20:42:53