AI Faith and Civil Society Commission Abu Dhabi conference
In February, four of our Good Faith Partnership colleagues from the AI Faith and Civil Society Commission travelled to Abu Dhabi for a three-day conference with key AI experts and leaders across faith and civil society with the goals of hearing from new perspectives from the Middle East and engaging with senior government officials.
Speakers included His Eminence Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, president of Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace; Dr Omar Al Derei, Director of the Ifta Department at the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments; and Father Paolo Benanti, Professor at the Gregorian University and Pontifical Advisor on AI among many others.
During the conference, participants workshopped four key values ‘accessibility’, ‘transparency’, ‘justice’ and ‘truth’, in sessions led by one of the Commission’s experts. The conference also marked the launch of the Commission’s map, a live platform mapping organisations working at the intersections of AI, faith and civil society.
The opening ceremony was hugely positive. A poll of the 42 delegates showed 68% thought justice was the most important value to consider when discussing AI ethics. The same proportion said they were ‘an optimist concerned with long-term impact’ when asked how they would best describe their attitudes to AI.
During the conference, the following priorities were identified:
Connecting with young people to listen to their concerns around AI;
Engaging with tech companies; and
Showcasing to policymakers the value of faith and civil society’s contributions to the conversation on AI.
Following the conference, the AI Faith and Civil Society Commission will establish a programme of events and research workstreams to work on these goals.
To find out more about the Conference and the Commission, visit the Commission’s website here or follow them on social media @AIFaith_Civil.