By Enock Sithole
The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) will be in Paris in February 2025 this month for the AI Action Summit, where a new scientific panel to study the impact of AI on economic development and inclusion is to be launched.
The theme of the summit, “public interest AI”, provides financial services a glaring example of the way AI is reshaping access to economic opportunities on a global scale, said a statement issued by the IPIE.
The statement revealed that “from banking, housing, and employment opportunities, AI systems are increasingly influential in determining who gets access to critical resources and how”.
The IPIE invited those who would like to attend the summit to join through here on February 11.
Led by Dr. Jen Schradie at Sciences Po, a renowned research university based in Paris, the Scientific Panel on AI and Economic Inclusion will summarise and present the latest research about how AI systems have been impacting access to markets, human rights, government services, consumer rights, and the sustainable development goals related to economic well-being.
At the launch event, Dr. Schradie will be joined by three global thought leaders on AI and equity:
- Angela Aristidou (UCL School of Management/Stanford Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence, {HAI}) will speak on AI, economic equity, and health dimensions.
- Dr. Rumman Chowdhury (HumaneIntelligence) is to speak on auditing and accountability.
- ’Gbenga Sesan (Paradigm Initiative) will address issues relating to civil society’s role in AI use and inclusion and additional AI use and inclusion challenges faced by global majority countries.
The IPIE is an organisation of top scientists of different disciplines from around the world who have come together to address issues such as algorithmic manipulation, bias, hate speech, misleading information, deepfakes, and other issues that have created a “global environmental information” crisis.
The IPIE was established in May 2023 to respond to issues that pose “an existential threat to humanity” and “cost billions of dollars, millions of lives, and an erosion of trust in science, our institutions and each other”, according to the IPIE website.
In Africa, the IPIE is spearheaded by Rhodes University’s Dr. Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam, who is a member of the organisation’s Advisory Committee.