The B20 Summit – one of the preparatory events for the 19th G20 summit in Brazil – discussed this Thursday (24), in the capital of São Paulo, the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). Leaders of large technology companies, such as Google, presented their views on the topic, called for dialogue with governments and demanded that regulation not hinder the development of AI.
“There is a lot of rhetoric around the dangers and concerns around AI. People have a right to be concerned, but I think we need to be bold and responsible again. Accountability happens when you engage with regulators or legislators. And we have had discussions with the National Congress, with Parliament, with the Superior Electoral Court. It is important that we discuss AI to ensure that it is a positive tool for Brazilian society”, highlighted the president of Google Brazil, Fábio Coelho.
For Coelho, regulation must be “good enough to continue the evolution we have had since 10 years ago, since we had the Marco Civil [da Internet no Brasil]”.
Sanctioned in 2014, the Civil Rights Framework for the Internet turned ten years old last April. The set of laws defined the principles for regulating the internet in the country, including those relating to the protection of users’ privacy and personal data, ensuring their rights and guarantees.
The president of Google Brazil also highlighted that the regulation of AI will have geopolitical impacts on the world and will be decisive for the flow of technology production. “The country will have greater capacity to generate value if it is a technology producer or a technology importer. In the case of Brazil, we have a country in which we have the capacity to make a huge leap. Some people don’t want to recognize this, but Brazilian society is highly digital,” he said.
Fariba Wells, vice president of Global Government Affairs and Policy at Kyndryl, the world’s largest provider of information technology infrastructure services, called for balance in AI regulation and said the process in the European Union must be analyzed carefully.
In May, the European Union approved rules on Artificial Intelligence that are expected to come into force in 2024. European legislation imposes transparency obligations on AI systems, with fines ranging from 7.5 million euros to 7% of global revenue of companies accused of violations.
“Everyone who has a regulated entity, the first thing you hear is that there are too many rules, there are too many entities to be informed. We need harmonization. Governments tend to regulate a lot. This is what we see with AI. We need to pay attention to what the Europeans are doing,” he said.
Business 20 (B20) is the G20’s official dialogue forum with the business community. The group is made up of around a thousand business representatives from G20 countries, guest countries and international organizations. The B20 will officially transmit its recommendations to the G20 presidency at the meeting to be held in Brazil in November.
