MANY governments have begun cracking down on young people’s access to social media, but campaigners have appealed to G7 leaders meeting in France to move quickly on regulating generative artificial intelligence too.
Ahead of the heads of state and government meeting in Evian, eastern France, 95 young people from 19 countries gathered to call on “world leaders to protect our education, mental health and social well-being” as AI chatbots, companions and agents spread through the technology ecosystem. “The safeguards that will shape (AI) cannot be left solely to the companies developing these tools, nor to adults who did not grow up with AI as a constant presence,” they wrote in a manifesto published by the International Research-driven Alliance for AI Serving Every child (iRaise). France added protecting children online to its list of priorities for its turn at the rotating presidency of the G7 gathering of leading developed nations.
But the chaotic geopolitical scene is likely to overshadow such considerations at this year’s meeting. Digital ministers from the G7 member countries agreed last month that generative AI could “replicate or exacerbate existing risks for minors”, from sexualized “deepfake” images to manipulation of the news.
“When an innovation takes such deep root in the lives of children, we cannot make an improvised response,” France’s high commissioner for children Sarah El Hairy said Monday. In recent months, governments have been laser-focused on social media. Canada and Britain are banning access for under-16s, following in the footsteps of Australia and Indonesia, with France and Austria likely next in line.
AFP
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