VietNamNet Bridge - Nguyen Anh Tuan, former chief editor of VietNamNet and now CEO of the Boston Global Forum - a Boston-based think tank aimed at reducing international conflict, addressed world leaders at the Club de Madrid roundtable held recently in San Francisco, the USA.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh and former Canadian Prime Minster Jean Chretien at the Club de Madrid roundtable in San Francisco. (Image courtesy of Boston Global Forum.)

Club de Madrid membership is made up of former prime ministers and presidents of the world’s democracies. These government leaders and heads of state were taking part in the Next Generation Democracy process whose objective is to trigger debate on ways help today’s democracies meet the expectations and needs of their citizens, preserving their rights and dignity as well as securing a sustainable future for generations to come.

Tuan, who spearheaded Boston Global Forum’s Artificial Intelligence World Society (AIWS) project briefed the former government and corporate leaders at the event on the developing role and influence artificial intelligence (AI) on society. He called for well-meaning citizens of the world to develop an ethical framework for advancement in and deployment of AI. 

He further urged the Club de Madrid delegates, together with leaders of Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple, as well as scholars from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Cambridge, and Oxford to work toward building the Next Generation Democracy based on AIWS ethical principles.

Regarding the AIWS-AI Initiative for Humanity, Tuan explained: “AI is changing the world we live in, from work to recreation, from healthcare to education, from governance to social interaction. AI applications are growing in number and usefulness, as the technology works its way into nearly every aspect of our lives."

"With this in mind, we created AIWS as a pioneering initiative of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation and the Boston Global Forum. Our goal is to foster informed thinking about AI so that it can contribute to the good of society—now and well into the future.” 

“The unpredictability of the Internet, computer operating systems, networks, and computer applications have often led to cybersecurity failures. AI’s impact on society suggests a need to establish technical standards, institutions, and norms to ensure AI’s safe implementation within an ethical framework,” he added.

Delegates were welcomed by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, president of WLA-Club de Madrid, and president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007, and John Battelle, EIC & CEO, NewCo. Among the member participants were Jean Chretien and Kim Campbell - former Prime Ministers of Canada, Esko Aho - former Prime Minister of Finland, and Jorge Quiroga - former President of Bolivia.

The AIWS initiative was created by the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation. 

PV