The work of the AI Council seeks to provide vital insights on translating AI principles into practice, establishing common standards for AI safety and security measures, and accelerating global regulatory interoperability and coherence. This work is underpinned by three guiding principles: commitment to safe and responsible AI; promotion of AI in service of society; and the support of a global AI regulatory environment that fosters international collaboration.
"AI is transforming the global economy and has the potential to contribute enormously to the development of a more innovative, prosperous, and sustainable world. The CSIS AI Council brings together an extraordinary group of leaders to etch out what corporate responsibility, international collaboration, and effective governance on AI looks like not only in principle, but in practice," said Brad Smith.
In addition to direct government and public engagement, the Council will publish three white papers that make detailed, actionable, and prudent recommendations to the global AI policy community.
“As organizations around the world continue to advance AI at scale, there is an opportunity for leading governments to coordinate their approaches to regulation, so that everyone can realize the promise of AI responsibly,” said Julie Sweet. “Through meaningful dialogue and cooperation, business and governments can foster the development and use of AI that is effective, fair, secure and respects every individual.”
DFKI CEO Prof. Antonio Krüger explains: "Today's kick-off meeting of the CSIS AI Council has shown that there is a consensus across countries, sectors, and industries that the opportunities of AI in the areas of health, economy, climate are immense and at the same time that the intensive regulatory activities ongoing worldwide are extremely welcomed. It was emphasized that two important perspectives should be considered on the current regulatory path: on the one hand, the necessary global harmonization of emerging regulatory frameworks, norms, and standards, and on the other hand, the innovation-promoting design of the opportunity space for further scientific development and future-proof practical application of AI solutions." Krüger adds: "In this coordination process, the G7 conference in Hiroshima in 2023 has a trend-setting significance, because the Japanese activities on "Society 5.0," the EU "AI Act," and the blueprint for an "AI Bill of Rights" presented by the White House in October should be thought together to avoid possible conflicts. The AI Council actively supports this process, helping to ensure that the challenges and the opportunities of AI are addressed in a global discourse in such a way that the innovations already achieved and those that can be achieved in the future can deliver their societal benefits."
Governments around the world are embarking upon major AI policy and legislative initiatives that will have significant implications for the future of global growth and innovation. Over the next year, there is a critical window of opportunity for leading democracies to create a collaborative framework for global AI governance, ensure a future of responsible AI consistent with democratic values, and prevent a fractured AI regulatory landscape. Seizing this opportunity will be a major challenge, and the CSIS AI Council aims to provide an actionable way forward for international cooperation. This includes advising and supporting individual governments, as well as multilateral fora such as the Group of Seven (G7), through their work on this critical topic.
Members of the CSIS AI Council represent a diverse and distinguished group of senior leaders from across the global AI ecosystem. They include eminent AI researchers and academics, former senior government officials with direct experience developing and implementing AI policy, and chief executives from leading global corporations. Members of the AI Council are:
• Julie Sweet (Co-Chair), Chair and CEO, Accenture
• Brad Smith (Co-Chair), President and Vice Chair, Microsoft
• Genevieve Bell, Distinguished Professor and Director, Autonomy, Agency & Assurance Institute, Australia National University (ANU)
• Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer
• France Cordova, President, Science Philanthropy Alliance; Former Director, National Science Foundation
• Yuko Harayama, Former Executive Director, RIKEN; Former Executive Member of the Council for Science, Tech, and Innovation, Cabinet Office of Japan
• Frank Heemskerk, Secretary General, European Round Table for Industry (ERT); Former Executive Director, World Bank
• Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Visa
• Antonio Krüger, CEO, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence
• Fei-Fei Li, Sequoia Professor and Denning Co- Director, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University
• Cedrik Neike, CEO, Siemens Digital Industries
• L. Rafael Reif, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Jun Sawada, Chairman, NTT Corporation
• Roger Taylor, Former Chair, Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (UK)
• Emma Walmsley, CEO, GSK
• Adrian Weller, Programme Director for Artificial Intelligence, Alan Turing Institute
• Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation