Global Observatory of Urban Artificial Intelligence

Work is underway by cities supported by the EU Commission to develop EU standard contractual clauses for the procurement of ethical AI based on the good practices of the City of Amsterdam. Amsterdam developed a set of contractual clauses for the procurement of Artificial Intelligence, to create a framework for the information that suppliers need to provide on algorithms used in order to ensure citizen trust in these services and so that the city could provide transparent information on how AI is used. The city made its contractual clauses publicly available as a template for other cities and other governments to reuse, as a practical means of encouraging the use of AI while providing safeguards.

These clauses are being reviewed and adapted to ensure they are aligned with the AI Act which is still under negotiation. The work will be supported by a community of practice, DG GROW’s forthcoming Digital Public Buyer’s Community, and the Living-in.EU movement (DG CONNECT).

UN-Habitat has launched a global survey to better understand the needs of local governments in relation to artificial intelligence (AI). The survey aims to identify current capacity and governance gaps, as well as opportunities for standardization, cooperation, and multi-stakeholder governance in cities related to the responsible use of AI. This survey is carried out collaboration with United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), a policy-oriented think tank dedicated to electronic governance, and with the support of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The survey is expected to generate valuable insights into the needs and capacities of cities to use AI responsibly. The results will help the United Nations and other organizations to understand local government priorities and AI capacity needs in addition to informing the development of technical guidelines on how to use, implement, and govern AI in local government contexts.

The second Sustainable AI conference – Sustainable AI Across Borders – organized by the Bonn Sustainable AI lab at Bonn University’s Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE) will take place May 30^th to June 1^st 2023. The focus of the first conference in June 2021 was to create a community of researchers in the space of Sustainable AI and to raise awareness on the topic. The second conference will focus on cross cultural perspectives to address the variety and scope of ethical issues on a global scale. An inspiration for this theme is to acknowledge the reality that certain countries play an integral role in the early production phase and the waste management but may never experience the benefits of AI.

Keynote Speakers

• Prof. Dr. Shannon Vallor, University of Edinburgh
• Prof. Dr. Caesar Atuire, University of Ghana
• Prof. Dr. Benedetta Brevini, University of Sidney
• Prof. Dr. Ulises Mejias, SUNY Oswego College

To see full program click here

The session discussed the interplay between global and local AI governance efforts and present the first findings of the “Atlas of Urban AI” report (1st edition).

The AI Act is the first-ever legal framework on AI, which addresses the risks of AI and positions Europe to play a leading role globally.