UAE among dozens of countries to sign AI safety declaration to protect children

The UAE has joined a list of countries signing an AI declaration, spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris Peace Forum, aimed at safeguarding children from untested models. Macron emphasized that no AI should be given to children without proper testing, evaluation, and authorization. The declaration, known as the Children First Declaration, includes Australia, Egypt, South Africa, Spain, and Germany, along with the UN.

They committed to advancing five pillars - health, nutrition, education, protection, and psychosocial well-being in the digital age - to achieve significant progress by 2045. This announcement took place before the Child Summit, organized by the Paris Peace Forum, a yearly event founded by Macron in 2018 to bolster global governance.

The summit aims to offer AI stakeholders indicators and best practices, alongside establishing an Action Hub for Children to foster collaboration between private and public sectors. The event comes after France, Spain, Kenya, and Australia formed a coalition for children's rights at the most recent UN General Assembly, backed by 26 states and the UN.

France is among several nations advocating for an EU-wide ban on social media for teenagers, similar to the UK and Australia. The UAE was the first Arab state to impose such a ban. At the Child Summit, AI developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, along with prominent AI safety organizations, pledged €8 million ($8.9 million) to support research and tools on the impact of AI on child development.

The objective is to shield children from the hazards of technologies like AI by equipping researchers with necessary resources to comprehend these technologies' effects on child development and guide science-based policy decisions. Philippe Etienne, president of the Paris Peace Forum, stated that these initiatives intend to encourage various groups, from local and national authorities to international organizations and the private sector, to coordinate efforts backed by technology to invest in children's rights and well-being.

Macron extensively discussed AI safety during his participation in the Paris Peace Forum. Prior to attending the Child Summit, he met with experts from a government-appointed commission at the Elysee Palace, who presented a report on AI safety for children. The report builds upon discussions initiated by Macron over a year ago concerning the impact of digital technology on democracies, expanding that analysis to the realm of generative AI. The Paris Peace Conference will conclude on Tuesday evening with a dinner at the palace.