The global landscape for artificial intelligence (AI) development has seen another step in regulation thanks to the efforts of the United Kingdom and the support of 17 fellow countries (including the US). 2024 has seen a major increase in awareness of AI in business, with many advancements being developed in the field without any form of regulation, resulting in the pressing need for regulation action.
2024 marks a year when the UK, supported by 17 other nations, published the first-ever global guidelines to ensure the secure development of all future AI technology. The support of the US and other nations has reinforced that guidelines will be implemented from this point onward and retconned into any AI designed before publishing.
The UK Leading the Mission
GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre teamed with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to drive the new UK-developed guidelines. The guidelines are a future-based focus to enable all AI developers with cybersecurity implementation around the technology to make informed and regulated decisions.
As a global leader in AI regulation, the UK is the first body to enforce awareness about the required security levels around the design of this ultra-sophisticated technology, including its strict development and deployment. The regulations come at a time when global concern about the development of AI and the potential threat of misuse is at peak levels, especially around the use of AI in business.
All in all, 21 international agencies, ministries, and industry experts (including Global South and all members of the G7 group of Nations) cooperated in mapping the guidelines as a unified agreement on establishing cast iron security protocols on emerging and quickly expanding technology.
The Face of the First Regulations
Being the first-ever regulations on a global scale, the guidelines are the first step in delivering informed decision-making practice on any development that incorporates traces of AI within its design. The guidelines will be set against any technology built from scratch and any that implements AI in business over an existing tool or platform.
By officially establishing this measure, all future enterprise AI cyber security procedures are to be safety pre-conditions of any AI system, legally woven into the development process from the planning stages to deliver a secure-by-design approach.
Launched at the NCSC-hosted event attended by over 100 industry, government, and international partners, the UK-developed guidelines have become available on the official NCSC website, along with comments from all NCSC officials involved in their development. The guidelines have been separated into four key areas, incorporating a secure design, development, deployment, and operation/maintenance. The regulations also provide suggested behaviours on security improvement of AI for large enterprises.
Retrofitting Challenge
The main focus for the many delegates is the uphill battle to retrofit security into AI for the enterprise alongside the implementation of these regulations for safety at the beginning of development stages instead of towards the end.
As a worldwide effort to address AI development safety and strengthen the UK Government’s AI Safety Summit’s stance on AI risk, the establishment of these guidelines is a monumental landmark in the development of AI for the enterprise. This major shift in regulation will be a focus of any big data event and conferences throughout the UK this year.
Keep an eye out for the next AI conferences 2024 to learn more about this exciting development of ethics of AI in business.
