Interview: IMD expert calls for stronger regulations to prioritize AI safety

GENEVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — An expert with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) has called for stronger regulations to prioritize artificial intelligence (AI) safety.
Michael Wade, director of IMD’s TONOMUS Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua as IMD has recently unveiled a new “AI Safety Clock.”
The clock was designed to assess growing risks posed by Uncontrollable Artificial General Intelligence (UAGI).
Drawing inspiration from the “Doomsday Clock,” experts at IMD’s TONOMUS Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation have set it at 29 minutes to midnight. Their extensive analysis of AI sophistication and regulations placed the clock just beyond medium risk, Wade noted.
The expert called for stronger multinational regulations and urged organizations to prioritize AI safety to prevent the clock from inching closer to midnight.
IMD created the clock following a comprehensive analysis of technologies and announcements from over 3,500 companies and governments worldwide.
The clock involves ongoing monitoring and evaluation of both quantitative and qualitative factors, and its position is updated tri-annually or adjusted as needed based on assessments.
Wade said, “Effective, joined-up regulation can constrain the worst tendencies of new technologies without losing their benefits, and we call on international actors and tech giants alike to act in all of our best interests.” ■