The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum
The annual World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum brings together the largest gathering of the Information and Communications Technologies community that focuses on making the information society accessible to all. The WSIS Forum provides an opportunity for multi-stakeholder cooperation in providing meaningful connections to the information society. Importantly, the WSIS Forum 2019 incorporates the recently adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as an important factor in the discussions.
As a Specific Activity sponsor to the WSIS Forum, IEEE SA will actively participate in many areas including making a High-Level Policy Statement, acting as a High-Level Track Facilitator, and hosting a Thematic workshop on Autonomous and Intelligent Systems in the Digital World: Moving from Principles to Practice. This workshop, set in the context of the Ethically Aligned Design, First Edition: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, will discuss real-world examples of how to move frameworks and principles for AI and A/IS into practical application and how we can advance the development and use of AI and A/IS in positive directions and contribute to advancement of the SDGs.
IEEE SA delegation members will participate in the High Level Dialogue: The Ethical Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence, hosted by UNESCO. This high-level dialogue will take stock of ongoing discussions and existing initiatives and studies on the ethical dimensions of Artificial Intelligence and make recommendations so that Artificial Intelligence can contribute towards fundamental values that leave no one behind. Specifically, the high-level dialogue will address the following: What do we mean exactly by a human centered and ethical AI? What are the immediate and potential long-term ethical challenges raised by AI in the domains of UNESCO’s mandate? What are some of the challenges in establishing ethical frameworks and principles in this field? Does this definition change in different regions of the world? What is a possible way forward and who needs to be involved in the conversation?
IEEE SA will also host an IEEE @ the World Summit on the Information Society Forum breakfast session on Autonomous and Intelligent Systems for SDGs. The session will expose the accomplishments of the IEEE Global Initiative, and other key global efforts such as ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit and others in addressing AI and A/IS issues. It will discuss how we can further deepen coordination and collaboration to accelerate awareness and sustainable practical outputs on a local and global level to foster a heightened level of trust between people and technology needed to realize the positive and fruitful use in our daily lives—and how we can put principles into practice in our collective efforts to achieve the SDGs.