Digital ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced nations have agreed on the need for “risk-based” regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) that is based on democratic values and preserves an open environment for the development of AI technologies. The ministers issued a joint statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Japan. The agreement sets a landmark for how major countries govern AI amid privacy concerns and security risks. It recognized that “policy instruments to achieve the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may vary across G7 members”. Generative AI tools such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT have raised particular concerns.
Italy took the chatbot offline last month while its potential breach of personal data rules was investigated. The country lifted the ban last week. EU lawmakers have also been working on new regulations. Last week, they reached a preliminary agreement on a new draft of their upcoming AI Act, which includes copyright protection measures for generative AI. European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said the bloc “will have the political agreement this year” on AI legislation, including labeling obligations for AI-generated images or music, to address copyright and educational risks.
The G7 statement said future discussions would address topics such as governance, intellectual property rights, copyright protection, and promoting transparency, along with issues such as disinformation and information manipulation by foreign forces. The statement also reflects the ministers’ belief that AI regulation should encourage technology development.
