UAE among dozens of countries to sign AI safety declaration to protect children

The UAE is among dozens of countries to sign an AI declaration, promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris Peace Forum, aimed at protecting children from untested models.

Mr Macron said the commitment of countries was clear that "no AI should be placed in the hands of children without first being tested, evaluated and therefore authorised". He described the declaration as a "major step forward”.

Other countries to sign the Children First Declaration included Australia, Egypt, South Africa, Spain and Germany, as well as the UN. They pledged to expand their efforts across five pillars – health, nutrition, education, protection and psychosocial well-being in the digital age – to achieve tangible results by 2045.

The announcement was made before the Child Summit, convened by the Paris Peace Forum, an annual gathering that Mr Macron launched in 2018 to improve global governance. The Child Summit aims to provide AI actors with indicators and best practices, in addition to establishing a platform for the private and public sectors called the Action Hub for Children.

It comes after France, Spain, Kenya and Australia launched a coalition for children's rights during the latest UN General Assembly in New York. Their move was backed by 26 states and the UN.

Show caption: The UAE has banned social media ban for under-15s. Victor Be…

France is one of many countries to push for an EU-wide ban on social media for teenagers, in a similar move to the UK and Australia. The UAE was the first Arab state to announce a ban.

The Child Summit will also see AI developers including OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as leading organisations on AI safety, pledge €8 million ($8.9 million) to fund research and tools on the interaction between AI and child development.

'Right resources'

"The aim is to protect children from the risks of technologies such as AI by equipping researchers with the right resources to understand the impact these technologies have on children’s development and inform science-based policy work," said Philippe Etienne, president of the Paris Peace Forum.

Together, those initiatives aim to encourage groups, from local and national authorities to international organisations and the private sector, to co-ordinate actions, backed by technology, to invest in children’s rights and well-being, organisers said.

Show caption: French President Emmanuel Macron has called for initiatives …

Mr Macron devoted a large part of his participation at the Paris Peace Forum to AI safety. Before heading to the Child Summit, he received a experts from a government-appointed commission at the Elysee Palace. They delivered a report on AI safety for children.

The report “builds upon discussions initiated by [Mr Macron] over a year ago regarding the consequences of digital technology for our democracies, extending that analysis to the realm of generative AI", the palace said in a statement.

The Paris Peace Conference will end on Tuesday night with a dinner at the palace.