First plenary meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

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On 3 and 4 December, the founding states of Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) held their first plenary session. Germany was represented by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in the virtual gathering. The GPAI, which was founded on 15 June 2020, is a global initiative to promote the development and use of a responsible and human-centred form of artificial intelligence (AI). The German Federal Government was represented in the inaugural meeting on 4 December by Thomas Jarzombek, Commissioner for the Digital Industry and Start-ups at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Among the items on the agenda was the accession of new member states.

Says State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Björn Böhning: “The use of artificial intelligence requires a political and socio-economic design that extends far beyond national borders. This makes it all the more important for us to work together internationally in forums such as the GPAI and share our experiences. If we are to ensure the use and development of a human-centred and responsible form of artificial intelligence, we will need a common regulatory framework on AI. Following this first plenary session of the GPAI, I am confident that the GPAI will make valuable recommendations on this.”

Says Commissioner of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for the Digital Industry and Start-ups Thomas Jarzombek: “Artificial intelligence is the key enabling technology for the future. We in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy are establishing GAIA-X, a secure data infrastructure for innovative and interconnected applications. At the same time, we are also increasing our investments in artificial intelligence from three billion euros to five billion euros between now and 2025. In doing this, we want to lay the foundations for a competitive economy for the times after the COVID-19 pandemic. Parallel to this, international discussions and cooperation on AI are to be improved within the GPAI, the world’s first multi-stakeholder forum for this issue. Our work is guided by the Federal Government’s AI Strategy, which was recently updated (2 December).”

The GPAI brings together together international experts from research, the political arena, business, and civil society. Together, they are monitoring developments in AI and drafting independent recommendations to political decision-makers. Since the official establishment of GPAI in June 2020, the experts have come together in five working groups. These focus on the issues of future of work, innovation and commercialisation, responsible AI, the potential of AI for fighting the pandemic, and data governance.

The first plenary session of the GPAI was entirely devoted to the sharing of knowledge, with experts presenting the reports that have been drawn up by the working groups so far, followed by discussions. In the further course of the cooperation, political recommendations are to be made to the Member States.

Germany is one of the founding members of the GPAI and is actively involved in the initiative’s design and the development.

For more information, please visit www.gpai.ai, www.bmwi.de and www.bmas.de (in German).