Lingnan University in Hong Kong hosts international workshop where leading scholars analyse AI risks and ethical challenges

With the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), safety issues arising from the related technologies are gradually surfacing and have attracted widespread attention. The School of Data Science of Lingnan University organised the 2024 International Workshop on Risk and Governance of Generative Artificial Intelligence from 25 to 26 November at the Cordis, Hong Kong hotel, where AI experts and scholars from around the world met to explore through case studies in-depth, original solutions to the possible risks of GenAI.

The hybrid seminar with 12 of the world's top AI experts, scholars, and industry leaders attracted more than 150 participants from outstanding academic and higher education institutions such as The Alan Turing Institute, the United Kingdom’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Bologna, Tsinghua University, and Microsoft Research Asia. Dr Ansgar Koene, Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader at Ernst & Young, Dr Andrés Domínguez Hernández, Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at the Alan Turing Institute, Prof Huang Minlie, Professor of the Department of Computer Science of Tsinghua University, and Dr Wang Jindong, Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research Asia, discussed the latest developments in risk and governance in GenAI.

In his welcome speech, Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, thanked all the speakers and guests for attending, and said that as governments around the world are actively developing a digital and low-altitude economy, and building smart cities, GenAI will play an important role, so that the risks of its use and governance problems should not be overlooked.

Prof Yao commented “Artificial Intelligence is pervasive in our society and life, but while GenAI is booming, it has also led to a series of potential risks and may have an undeniable impact on the protection of personal information, social stability, environmental sustainability, and even national security. Lingnan University is committed to being a leader in responsible and human-centric artificial intelligence, with impactful research and innovations, and this workshop aims to create an open exchange platform to stimulate new ideas on potential AI risks and governance, and to tap into the forward-looking perspectives of leading research institutes around the world.” The professor hopes it will facilitate academic exchanges and cooperation between international AI researchers and practitioners, and bring new breakthroughs to the international governance of AI by examining cutting-edge technological solutions, policies, and regulatory frameworks, as well as ethical and moral standards.

The workshop hosted 12 speakers, and two panel discussions focusing on AI safety in the era of large language models, the trustworthiness of GenAI, and risk control measures and effectiveness, as well as the enormous potential of GenAI technology, which continues to break through the boundaries of traditional technology in many areas, including creative content generation, data analysis, and decision support, offering unprecedented innovation and convenience.

However, experts also warned that the rapid development of this technology will bring an increase in the risks of the disclosure of personal data and privacy during the data collection and storage process, cybersecurity risks, bias and discrimination of AI models, disputes over the copyright ownership of generated content, and violation of human ethics and moral values, as well as products to replace human beings, leading to job losses, and also mislead public opinion and interfere with normal social decision-making through false information.

Using case studies, participants analysed various issues arising from GenAI, and considered innovative solutions to build up the resilience of our society. They agreed that although GenAI poses challenges, they are pleased that the global community is actively seeking answers to address and manage them.