NATO's AI strategy focuses on responsible use: AI chief

By Behlul Cetinkaya

LONDON (AA) – NATO’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy can play a key role in responsible use of the technology, the alliance’s data, AI policy head Nikos Loutas has said.

Loutas noted that NATO agreed on its first AI strategy in 2021 and has identified six guiding principles -- lawfulness, responsibility and accountability, explainability and traceability, reliability, governability, and bias mitigation.

Speaking to Anadolu at the London Artificial Intelligence Summit, Loutas said that a data and AI review board has also been established to ensure these principles are not just theoretical.

The board provides guidance, sets limits, and facilitates information exchange between allies. It also helps NATO to manage AI responsibly, he added.

Loutas acknowledged that adversaries could misuse AI but NATO invests in maintaining technological superiority and monitors competitor developments.

He stressed collaboration with international partners to ensure responsible AI use globally.

He pointed out that there is no AI system to address anti-Muslim sentiment, anti-Semitism, racism, and discrimination.

Lord Aamer Sarfraz, a UK Parliament member, echoed these concerns but highlighted recent efforts toward AI security and ethics.

He said the first Artificial Intelligence Security Summit in the UK is part of that effort.

Pointing out discussions about AI usage in defense and national security, Sarfraz said international humanitarian law is very clear about where AI can and cannot be used.

Referring to data sets used by AI systems being developed by biased people, Sarfraz warned that everyone should be careful about the data they use and ensure they are not manipulated by "adversaries."

He urged vigilance against manipulation and suggested third-party controls for data, similar to financial audits.

Sarfraz stressed the need for caution regarding AI's impact on disinformation, hate speech, and election campaigns on social media.

He said these are all new frontiers and the public is right to be concerned.

"As politicians and parliamentarians, we are trying to catch up with the technology. This time, we have to engage very early because it is developing so fast," said Sarfraz.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor in Istanbul