SW News: The United Nations has recognized the urgent need for an Artificial Intelligence monitoring organization but is aware that before any such entity can be formed, member nations must first agree on broad principles and interests.

Under-Secretary-General and UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill told Fox News Digital in an interview that the urgency is very clear from the UN's perspective, especially in terms of addressing the risks and the governance gap in the institutions.

A committee to advise the United Nations on AI policy has been spearheaded by Gill, and the group hopes to have it operational by the end of the year. Gill said that public sector institutions are way behind in terms of their understanding, in terms of their ability to cope with the implications, whether it's the shifts in the job market or misinformation, disinformation, or the threat to democracies.

There is a need to get governance right not only to address the risks but also to be able to drive up the trust in the solutions that are needed for sustainable development. Recently, Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, asked members to pay attention to the warnings over the latest form of artificial intelligence, which are loudest of the developers who designed it.

He urged the creation of an organization inspired by what the international agency of atomic energy is today and warned that those warnings must be taken seriously.  The United Nations has emphasized numerous times the need for safeguards to handle the tremendous potential of AI technology but due to a lack of funding for governance tools, benchmarks, and safety requirements, governments and member states are ill-prepared for the social changes that AI will bring about.

Gill drew attention to the concerns that the UN is lagging in achieving its sustainable development goals and tackling some crises, such as the rising cost of living crisis, all of which can be mitigated or even resolved by AI.