Highlighting blind spots in the governance of AI

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its ubiquity in our lives are creating urgent needs for governance and oversight, warn Mila—Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute—and UNESCO in a recently published joint book.

NATIONAL accompanied Mila in this important media event, held at its Agora in Montreal in March 2023. The launch featured a conversation between Yoshua Bengio, Mila's Founder and scientific director, and Kate Crawford, an expert on the social, political, and environmental consequences of AI, two luminaries in the field who contributed to the book. They discussed the significant opportunities for AI to accelerate scientific discovery, particularly in the areas of health and the environment. Opportunities related to recent technological revolutions and issues surrounding flaws and biases in current AI systems were also central to their discussion. Finally, they discussed the need for ethical and regulatory oversight of the sector to ensure that the technology serves all of humanity.

Drawing on its extensive media relations knowledge and experience with numerous clients in the AI community, NATIONAL coordinated with Mila's team to hold this press conference in order to send a warning to all governments worldwide.

In the days leading up to the press conference, we secured an embargoed interview with a leading technology journalist. Highlighting the two main protagonists of the event and several key elements of the book, the tone was set for the day of the announcement and Mila was already enjoying great media exposure.

The press release was distributed on three continents, numerous journalists were welcomed on site and virtually, two question periods and 13 interviews later, the news made the rounds in less than 72 hours.

The media was quick to point out the urgent need to put in place regulatory frameworks to better manage the development of the technology, in order to take advantage of the opportunities it offers and reduce the risks it poses.

The collaborative efforts of the NATIONAL and Mila teams generated more than 13 million impressions and further demonstrated Mila's leadership role on the international stage.