The World Economic Forum has launched six councils that will help policy-makers and businesses to address governance gaps in enabling emerging technologies which include blockchain, artificial intelligence, drones, precision medicine, internet of things and autonomous mobility.
Launched from the organization’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the six Councils are allegedly made up of over 200 leaders from the private and public sectors, academia and civil society from over 27 countries. And the board members will regularly meet to address the absence of clearly defined technology policies.
The six Councils include:
- Global Artificial Intelligence Council
- Global Autonomous and Urban Mobility Council
- Global Blockchain Council
- Global Drones and Aerial Mobility Council
- Global Internet of Things Council
- Global Precision Medicine Council
Microsoft president Brad Smith and Sinovation Ventures CEO Dr. Kai-Fu Lee who was formerly the president of Google China will co-chair the Global AI Council. And other members will include IBM, IEEE, Future of Life Institute, Element AI, and government ministers from Colombia, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, the organization’s spokesperson told VentureBeat.
World Wide Web Foundation CEO Adrian Lovett and Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon will co-chair the Global IoT Council, while the Global Autonomous and Urban Mobility Council will be co-chaired by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology president and Vice-chairman Brian Gu Hong-Di, and Keiichi Ishii, Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
All six councils met on the 29th of May for the first time in San Francisco where they discuss initial policy focuses for the groups. The organization promised to publish a full list of the participating members from around the world in July. The list will comprise of over 200 leaders in diverse public and private sectors.
The San Francisco-based Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution currently work with a group of over 100 partner organizations through various offices around the world; in Japan, India, China, etc.
The World Economic Forum director Kay Firth-Butterfield said in an interview with VentureBeat last month that there will be a need for native data and councils that will advise businesses developing artificial intelligence. Through the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, Rwanda was able to write the world’s first agile drone regulation and the division is doing well in Africa and Asia. In UAE, it helped to create a personal data policy and co-designed the first-ever Industrial IoT Safety and Security Protocol. The network has also developed policy guides for corporate executives on the blockchain. WEF is also working with the government of New Zealand to remodel the regulator’s role in the era of AI.
Last week, 42 countries subscribed to OECD AI principles and recommendations in a different multinational AI initiative.
