AI will change the world. The terms are up to us.

IBM on B7

We are living at a watershed moment in AI. The European Parliament has just voted on an EU AI law that will regulate and manage the use and impact of this technology. Accordingly, governments and companies are preparing to set their own standards for AI. AI featured in simultaneous conversations at the G7 Ministerial Meeting and the B7 Economic Council meeting in Verona, Italy. I had the opportunity to bring IBM’s perspective to these industry discussions.

IBM strongly believes that AI can deliver significant benefits across all sectors. But first we must overcome adoption barriers and build trust in this exciting technology.

From state-of-the-art problems to standard problems

Most organizations have begun their AI journey. Our research shows that 42% of large enterprises are actively deploying AI, while another 40% are in the experimentation phase (Source: IBM Global AI Adoption Index). However, few are leveraging the full potential of AI solutions. What is holding them back?

Our analysis shows that the top three factors are limited AI skills and expertise (33%), data complexity (25%), and ethical concerns (23%). IBM plans to build on our long tradition of democratizing technology by helping address these barriers.

First, we will continue to invest in open and transparent innovation around AI. Encouraging collaboration and information sharing will help risks surface faster and help the international community mitigate those risks more quickly. Initiatives like the AI ​​Alliance help foster an open AI community that prioritizes accountability, safety, and innovation.

We believe that fostering an open market ecosystem around AI is in everyone’s interest. Increasing competition will help level the playing field for businesses of all sizes, regardless of whether they have access to data and computing resources.

Our solutions are designed to address all levels of complexity, from data to governance to scale. IBM believes that scaling AI through governance is the path to sustainable and ethically responsible AI. This increases customer trust and company reputation.

Building trust is all that matters

The headline of IBM’s vision for AI is that both industry and government must continue to build and grow trust in the technology globally. EU AI law is a groundbreaking way to regulate this rapidly evolving field. In our latest AI adoption study, 85% of IT professionals strongly or somewhat agree that consumers are more likely to choose services from companies with transparent and ethical AI practices, compared with 83% of companies deploying or exploring the technology. said it could explain how to introduce AI. Having AI make decisions is critical to your business.

Navigating an increasingly complex global regulatory environment is challenging for businesses and organizations of all sizes. That’s why we launched watsonx.governance, a unified platform designed to help you break the black box of AI.

IBM also fully supports the work done by Japan during Japan’s G7 presidency last year to develop the Hiroshima Principles. The Hiroshima Principles are the guiding principles for organizations around the world to develop advanced AI systems that promote safe and trustworthy AI. We look forward to supporting the Italian Presidency in building on this solid foundation.

As a next step, we propose an AI workstream where the G7 would create a ‘crosswalk’ to compare individual member countries’ AI regulatory regimes with the Hiroshima Principles. We believe that this move can help establish gaps and gaps, and accelerate the international harmonization of standards and adoption of AI best practices. This will allow the G7 to focus its attention on specific policy areas that require additional time and resources (e.g. AI safety).

Looking to the future

We can’t stop looking ahead. AI is at an exciting turning point, but thanks to technologies like quantum computing, there’s a lot more to come. We believe that AI and quantum computing will work together to extend, but not replace, traditional machine learning. So, just like with AI, we are pioneering quantum governance. Combining different technologies will broaden the problems we can solve, from the climate crisis to food insecurity and global health.

At IBM, we believe we have a responsibility to innovate to solve problems faster than they occur. Once again, openness, transparency and collaboration are principles that will help us unleash the full potential of new technologies to change the world for the better.

Learn more about the watsonx AI and data platform