Global Observatory of Urban Artificial Intelligence

This agenda outlines the City of Amsterdam’s ambitions regarding AI: develop AI technology for People. The underlying objective is to implement interventions that will improve the lives of the city’s residents by limiting the negative and enhancing the positive effects of digitization. The agenda sets conditions for algorithms to prevent discrimination and be more transparent and explainable. In this context, several algorithms are to be audited annually, and algorithms placed in a register. Furthermore, the agenda adheres to the values set out in the Tada manifesto, written by professionals from the Amsterdam region to advocate an ethical and responsible use of data and technology.

The Buenos Aires AI Plan is an overarching strategy for the generation of a positive impact through the use and development of artificial intelligence. The plan breaks down potential risks and opportunities, specifies main objectives, provides a structure for its implementation and describes the main challenges to achieve this. In addition it endorses AI ethical principles to be respected, among which we find transparency, privacy, cybersecurity, respect for the environment, responsibility, human intervention and open governance. Moreover, the plan also featured the creation of Buenos Aires AI Lab, in charge of deploying AI-based government solutions and training decision-makers and public employees.

The plan was elaborated using a collective, open and collaborative methodology. 147 professionals and experts participated in its creation, as well as teams from 16 government areas.

The Emerging Technology Charter for London, the first of its kind amongst UK cities, lays out a clear pathway for the ethical use of future technologies in city. The Charter features a set of practical and ethical guidelines focussed on openness, digital rights, use of data and sustainability. It covers technology such as driverless cars, facial recognition software, drones, sensor networks, robotics, mobility services, augmented and virtual reality, and automated and algorithmic decision-making. It sets four principles for implementing technology in London: openness, respect of diversity, data trustworthiness (including privacy-by-design) and sustainability.

Singapore released its Model AI Governance Framework at the 2019 World Economic Forum to create “ethical principles into practical recommendations that organisation could readily adopt to deploy AI reponsibly.” The key facets of the framework state that: decisions made by AI should be “explainable, transparent and fair”; and AI systems should be human-centric (i.e., the design and deployment of AI should protect people’s interests including their safety and wellbeing).

Internal protocol for the ethical implementation of algorithmic systems used by the municipality, including step-by-step mechanisms for each stage of the process (from public tendering and implementation to the dismantling of the AI system). The procedure adapts to the different stages of the AI lifecycle and its level of riskiness (assessed from ‘limited and minimal risk’ to ‘unacceptable risk’ based on the EU Commission’s risk classification). This is a pioneering document in regard to the regulation and governance of algorithmic systems at the local level, as it combines the public procurement process, the lifecycle of an algorithmic system, data protection mechanisms and ethical standards.

On 8 April 2019, the High-Level Expert Group on AI presented Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. This followed the publication of the guidelines’ first draft in December 2018 on which more than 500 comments were received through an open consultation.

The Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is a proposed regulation by the European Commission which aims to introduce a common regulatory and legal framework for artificial intelligence. It applies to all sectors (except for military), and to all types of artificial intelligence.