2024, AI rising (2)

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is considered an equalizer to bridge the technology gap between rich and poor nations.

Experts, however, said that AI could exacerbate global inequality as the finance industry has long relied on AI to make decisions on loans, weigh risks for institutions and enable easier banking for customers.

Thus, increasing AI involvement in financial services could determine who has access to banking and loans with automated tools defining and determining people and regions too risky for support.

The profiling function of AI systems is developed to determine risks and investments.

Those already with the means will continue to use AI "to refine and determine eligibility for investment and future potential" that developing nations may find hard to match.

"From the United Kingdom and the United States to China and Russia, governments across the world are discussing the future of AI and how it should be governed," said Heather Ashby, associate director of Disruptive Technologies and Artificial Intelligence at the think tank United States Institute of Peace.

After the United Kingdom-government-sponsored AI Safety Summit last November, countries from the Netherlands and Brazil to Rwanda and the Philippines agreed to continue inclusive global dialogue on AI safety and risks.

Discussions on AI use and development are also being held among multilateral institutions. The United Nations launched a High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence through the Office of the Secretary General's Ambassador on Technology.

The advisory group is expected to raise, the most ambitious global governance discussions on AI by bringing a diverse group of experts together to consider AI risks, computing capacity, and algorithms among other topics.

The UN is expected to convene a large group of experts that can provide a shot in the arm to reinvigorate multilateralism.

Since 2018, the European Union has also evolved its approach to AI but has consistently sought to mitigate harm from emerging and advancing technologies.

Despite its adverse uses amid governance issues, AI use in multiple sectors will grow and not diminish.

"From finance to weapons systems, and social media use to healthcare, the range of AI application will expand," according to Ashby.

As governments and multilateral institutions convene experts on AI to understand the evolving risks and challenges, peacebuilders should be included in those discussions to provide their perspectives on the impact of this technology across societies to mitigate harm from violence.

AI could be a tool for peace processes. For instance, "non-weaponized autonomous drones could play a role in monitoring lines of contact and cease-fire violations to reduce the harm to peacekeepers and units on the ground," Ashby explained.

Since previous use of drone technology to monitor ceasefires collected a tremendous amount of data, AI can help monitor missions and comb through the images of violence or potential for violations combined with satellite imagery.

"This could also be a useful approach for observing disarmament of combatants and identifying war crimes combined with on-the-ground data gathering, when possible," the expert at the US think tank indicated.

The focus on AI's pivotal role in peace process negotiations, community compacts, or dialogues should get priority.

The wealth of historical data on peace agreements, community compacts, and dialogues could be used to develop AI that can assist in discussions by highlighting potential patterns and trends in conflict dynamics previously requiring significant human resources to research or identify.

Like any game-changing technological development, AI can make or break humanity, a fate that will be up to the users to decide.