Reflections on AI Governance: Insights Post-Davos

After Davos, I thought it worthwhile to review some of the messaging on AI emerging from prominent speakers. The sheer volume of AI references signals a definite political awakening, but one from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, where he cited “the runaway development of AI without guard rails” and the compelling need for an appropriate governance model, found me reflecting on an idea I read about some months ago.

It appeared in an FT article jointly-penned by Eric Schmidt (former CEO of Google) and Mustafa Suleyman (co-founder of DeepMind). In it they called for a body modelled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which holds a mandate that includes providing policymakers with assessments of its impact and future risks. They called for a central hub - as with the IPCC - to collate science and research on AI, rather than undertake its own, and then to inform policymakers with its evidence-led approach. I believe it has merit and would welcome your comments.

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