International AI Summit 2024 shapes future of AI governance, innovation, and ethics

The International AI Summit 2024 held recently in Brussels, brought together over a thousand global stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society. Organized by Forum Europe, the summit served as a neutral platform for collaboration on shaping the future of AI governance, addressing key business, regulatory, and ethical challenges.

Yi-Jing Lin, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs, Taiwan, said: “The development of AI is unstoppable, and each one of us is here to witness this historic moment. In this process, it is crucial for all of us to collectively consider and address how to establish sound policies and prevent the misuse of technology.”

Democratized, accessible, and equitable
Speakers addressed whether adequate attention is being given to ensuring AI is democratized, accessible, and equitable. “AI is important for Africa”, said Prof. Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium and Mission to the European Union. Ndemo added that AI is already bringing improvements in production, as small farmers use it monitor their crops, in education, health, helping people to move out of poverty, particularly if applications are available in local languages. “This is a very transformative technology which is probably going to have more of impact in developing countries than elsewhere,” he said.

The summit also explored the evolving landscape of AI governance, with a focus on emerging international cooperation.

Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, emphasised the importance of "smart regulation" and the exchange of best practice, to ensure AI’s growth while safeguarding innovation, stressing that rather than “regulatory roadblocks” it will be a question of having “a smart set of minimum standards, focusing on interoperability”.

“Maybe the US is too light touch, and the EU is too heavy”, he noted. Knudsen also pointed out the EU’s significant role in setting global standards, adding that the EU's economic influence and soft power will have a lasting impact on global AI policy: “An economic giant like the European Union will have an enormous impact around the world,” he said.

Global interoperability
A key session, "Towards the Global Interoperability of AI – The Role of Global Cooperation on Standards," addressed progress in creating AI standards and their role in ensuring effective governance and protecting rights. Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy to the Director and Chief of the Study Groups Department at ITU, stressed the importance of international collaboration on AI standards. “Countries around the world are emphasizing that sound AI governance calls for impactful standards and capacity development. That’s exactly how ITU contributes to responsible, safe, and inclusive AI.”

From the industry perspective, Yohann Bénard, Public Policy Directo Europe at Amazon, said that Amazon is heavily committed towards responsible AI, and emphasized that “standardisation is the connector for global innovation. It works by consensus, and it drives the interoperability that connects regional and global innovation.”

The summit also explored the role of AI in fostering economic growth and competitiveness. Delegates discussed the importance of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in responsibly integrating AI technologies and to develop an expanded global market for AI tools and applications.

Aliki Foinikopoulou, Senior Director of Global Public Policy at Salesforce, noted: "AI agents represent the next phase of AI innovation. To unlock technology's full potential, governments must champion the adoption of trusted AI tools, establish enabling regulatory frameworks, and invest in comprehensive skilling programs for the workforce of tomorrow."

Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, speaking on the UN’s AI Agenda under the Global Digital Compat warned against “fragmentation” in the development and regulation of AI. There should be an international “AI Standard exchange” to strengthen collaboration going forward, he said.

On building the market, tools and solutions to drive growth and prosperity, Yoichi Lida, Assistant Vice Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan, and Chair of the Hiroshima process WG said that government has the responsibility to work closely with the private sector and to close the gap in investment.

Oleksandr Tsybort, deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine for Digital Development said that there is strong potential in the AI sector in Ukraine, where developers work to the EU AI Act and global standards. He said that Ukraine has created a “AI campus” and is embracing AI solutions to support civil servants and government in making decisions, improving processes and making them faster and more efficient, which is good for SMEs and citizens alike.

Discussing the EU AI Act and global alignment on AI regulatory efforts Dariusz Standerski, Secretary of State at the ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland, said that his priority during the incoming Polish EU presidency is to put in place working groups on common implementation of the EU AI Act across the bloc, to avoid fragmentation. “Without common implementation there is no competitiveness” he said.

The European Commission, on its part, will shortly be putting forward guidance on legal definitions to support uniform implementation, said Kilian Gross, head of Unit Regulation and Compliance, Artificial Intelligence Office, DG Connect..

The discussions built upon key moments in AI governance, including the recent UN Summit for the Future, the union of GPAI with AIGO, the ongoing Hiroshima Process, and the creation of the EU AI Office. The event underscored AI’s role in the EU’s strategy for economic renewal, innovation, and sustainable growth.

The International AI Summit 2024 highlighted the importance of continued global cooperation to ensure AI's technology interoperability, and its development is responsible, inclusive, and aligned with the values of fairness, transparency, and accountability.