"New technologies, including AI, must be safe, under human control, and governed fairly, inclusively, and transparently", the UNIC Manama Director said.
The United Nations Information Centre for the Gulf Countries (UNIC Manama) participated on 18 April in a student debate organized by Ahlia University in Bahrain on the implications of robotics for achieving the SDGs.
Speaking at the debate, UNIC Manama Director Ahmed Ben Lassoued highlighted the importance of new technologies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
"However, new technologies, including AI, must be safe, under human control, and governed fairly, inclusively, and transparently," Ben Lassoued said, stressing the importance of the upcoming Summit of the Future, to be held in New York in September this year.
"One key point to be discussed at the Summit is how to leverage better science, technology, innovation, and digital information for sustainable development," he said.
Youth voices matter
"As the custodians of the planet, young people will have to live with the consequences of today's actions - or inaction," Ben Lassoued told the participants.
"The United Nations stands with you in your effort to make your voice heard and count," he said, calling the participants to engage with the United Nations in the lead-up to the Summit.