ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday announced a 39-member advisory body to address issues in international governance of artificial intelligence (AI), naming prominent Pakistani digital rights activist, Nighat Dad, as one of its members.
Dad currently serves as the executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation, a distinguished non-profit organization based in Pakistan. Her work centers on pivotal issues such as online free speech, privacy, and tech-facilitated gender-based violence.
“Her unwavering commitment extends beyond the borders of her nation, as she fervently advocates for the global majority’s inclusion in substantive dialogues concerning emerging technologies & regulatory frameworks,” the UN said on its website. “Notably, Nighat stands as a resolute champion for platform accountability in the context of content moderation and the governance of emerging technologies.”
“Nighat’s exceptional accomplishments within the digital rights sphere have garnered her numerous accolades, including recognition as a TED Fellow, recipient of the prestigious Dutch Human Rights Tulip Award, and acknowledgment as a celebrated TIME's Next Generation Leader,” it added. “Her multifaceted achievements underscore her invaluable contributions to the global promotion of human rights and digital freedoms.”
The UN said its secretary-general’s decision to constitute the multi-stakeholder advisory body was to ensure quality analysis before advancing recommendations for globally coordinated AI governance to harness the technology for humanity while addressing its risks and uncertainties.
The development comes at a time when IA is increasingly becoming more prevalent in various sectors around the world and being leveraged by healthcare, finance, education specialists, among others.
The UN is also calling for support to the advisory body’s operations and the secretariat, based in the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology.
