HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim highlighted the importance that the State of Qatar, under the directives of its wise leadership, attaches to Artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, and setting legal frameworks to manage their use.
This came during His Excellency’s chairmanship of the Shura Council’s delegation to the 6th conference of the Arab Parliament and Speakers of Arab Councils and Parliaments held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Saturday. The conference is held to discuss and issue a draft document for an Arab parliamentary vision for the safe use of AI.
His Excellency pointed to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s emphasis on and call for the need to hold an international conference to regulate cyber security in international law at the 73rd and 74th sessions of the United Nations General Assembly held in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council underscored the State of Qatar’s efforts to solidify national cyber and en
sure the safety of the state’s vital interests by forming the National Cyber Security Agency.
His Excellency added that the State of Qatar has supported a United Nations’ decision to set a comprehensive international convention to counter cyber security crimes, in addition to establishing the Qatar Computing Research Institute in order to meet local needs and enhance Qatar’s leading international standing in the field.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council said that the state has adopted Qatar’s National AI Strategy in accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030, to ensure the country’s economic and strategic future.
His Excellency stressed the importance of the draft document being worked out, however, pointing to member states’ divergence in opinions and positions regarding AI legalization.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council continued by saying that AI receives international interest due to AI’s impressive role in serving humanity and facilitating life. His Excellency added that as the case with other
forms of knowledge and sciences, AI also poses challenges and risks, particularly with regard to its military misuse which has the potential of threatening world peace and security, something on which specialists are working on understanding and mitigating.
HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim stressed the need for parliamentarians to work with AI experts and specialists on drafting a comprehensive legislation on the safe use of AI in all fields.
HE the Speaker of the Shura Council said that Arab AI experts and specialists must be benefitted from in conducting research and studies in the field, as well as in preparing a report on the benefits and risks of AI use, and ways for its safe use, to then be presented to the Arab Parliament’s general secretariat and distributed among member states to guide their national AI legislations.
His Excellency expressed hope that the conference succeeds in making decisions and setting procedures for a unified comprehensive vision on AI.
Source: Qatar News Agency