On the third day of the Global Baku Forum, a panel discussion was held on the topic of "New Technologies for New World."
The panel, moderated by Susan Ness, an expert from the U.S. German Marshall Fund and the Annenberg Policy Center, included prominent speakers such as Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Sam Daws, Senior Advisor of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative at University of Oxford, George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece (2009-2011), Bernardo Mariano, Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Office for Information and Communication Technologies, Rosen Plevneliev, former President of Bulgaria, Milica Pejanović-Đurišić, former Minister of Defense of Montenegro, Vladimir Norov, former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and former Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, and Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Tomas Lamanauskas highlighted the priority of applying new technologies and the importance of mitigating risks. He stressed that only 45% of AI technologies are applied globally and emphasized the need for global centers and improved legislation to advance AI.
Sam Daws discussed the importance of monitoring AI technologies, mentioning that geopolitical competition among countries is a factor in the global application of AI. "Everyone wants to apply technological advancements in their own country, and various nations are holding training programs," he said.
George Papandreou argued that technology is more often used for mass destruction rather than for issues like education or climate change. He noted that AI is controlled by large nations like the U.S. and China, and emphasized that these technologies should serve humanity, particularly in the fields of education and climate change.
Bernardo Mariano pointed out that artificial intelligence has been researched for nearly 60 years, and the creation of ChatGPT has been a surprising development. He discussed the positive and negative aspects of AI, stressing that AI is currently controlled by individuals rather than governments. "The UN must support governments in addressing not only existing issues but also new problems arising from emerging technologies," Mariano added.
Rosen Plevneliev highlighted that ethical use of technologies is one of the most important topics discussed at the 12th Global Baku Forum. He noted that new technologies, including AI, should serve science and humanity and bring benefits to the world.
Milica Pejanović-Đurišić emphasized that AI should add value to the necessary fields and pointed out that the role of world leaders in this regard remains unclear. She also discussed the importance of preventing AI from being misused in a negative direction.
Vladimir Norov noted that technologies are shaping our daily lives and also influencing politics. "They are also affecting the privacy of human life. A comprehensive approach is needed here," he said, adding that large tech companies should prioritize ethical conduct over profit.
Fariz Jafarov shared that Azerbaijan has developed a Digital Economy Development Strategy. "It is crucial for us to increase citizens' digital literacy. We have created a unique system in Azerbaijan to help people benefit from artificial intelligence. Currently, we are working on the application of AI for investigating calls in the Ministry of Economy and the Tax Service's Call Center," Jafarov concluded.
The panel discussion continued with further deliberations.
