We had been privileged to attend the World Governments Summit 2024 occasion in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on February 12 to 14, 2024. It was a momentous gathering of greater than 10,000 leaders, ministers, and specialists from world wide—coming collectively to form the way forward for governments and discover revolutionary options for main challenges.
The themes of the summit included authorities acceleration and transformation, AI, financial growth, sustainability, and international well being. As leaders in Microsoft for Authorities, we had been struck by how deeply know-how has turn out to be intertwined with governance. This was very true with AI, which was pervasive in virtually each dialogue. The vitality and pleasure had been palpable, and at occasions it felt as if we had been attending a know-how discussion board.
Microsoft for Authorities
Empowering governments with know-how to assist resolve society’s greatest challenges
High-of-mind AI adoption issues for governments worldwide
Throughout all interactions with attendees, we heard a broad vary of views round AI and its position in the way forward for governments. The potential worth of AI was not at challenge. General, members regarded the appearance of AI, particularly generative AI, as a historic shift on par with the web or the Industrial Revolution, and there was overwhelming curiosity in placing it to work broadly for the development of society.
We additionally heard a variety of views surrounding generative AI. Among the many widespread themes and questions on the minds of presidency leaders had been the next:
- Creating laws and rules: How can governments take motion to make sure secure, honest, and accountable AI adoption with out stifling innovation?
- Enabling inclusion: How can AI be infused all through the world, and never simply in rich societies, to create an inclusive and equitable surroundings based mostly on the ideas of privateness, belief, and transparency?
- Guaranteeing safety: How can governments shield delicate knowledge and belongings in a world the place nation state actors and criminals are launching aggressive cyberattacks utilizing AI?
- Guaranteeing digital sovereignty: How can knowledge be made accessible to AI whereas nonetheless conforming to the legal guidelines and rules of the particular nation or area the place it resides?
- Coaching authorities workforces: How can authorities staff get applicable, efficient studying sources to shortly embrace and leverage new AI expertise?
Clearly, these points span the broad domains of know-how, regulation, and authorized and political issues. It’ll take broad, long-term partnership and collaboration from many quarters to make sure that AI is employed in ways in which profit everybody, with minimal unfavorable influence.
How governments are getting began with AI innovation
Each authorities’s scenario and challenges are distinctive, however there are some necessary ideas for each chief and group to keep in mind. First is knowing that knowledge underpins AI innovation. It’s not attainable to reap the advantages of generative AI with out a trendy knowledge technique, one which integrates numerous knowledge sources, ensures knowledge high quality, establishes guidelines and processes for knowledge entry and administration, and retains knowledge and programs safe.
That is why governments are more and more recognizing that embracing AI requires migrating to the cloud. A contemporary platform, such because the Microsoft Cloud, offers the wealthy knowledge providers and hyperscale compute capabilities required to allow AI, plus the necessary safety and compliance advantages which can be inbuilt.
With a powerful cloud basis, governments can begin early innovation with AI. This begins by defining clear goals that deal with an necessary, manageable precedence. From there, an excellent first step is to construct a restricted use case utilizing instruments similar to Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, which allow you to check, study, and iterate.
In response to IDC, 64% of governments worldwide are within the early phases of exploring generative AI proof-of-concepts and use instances, with about half of these making important investments. The highest investments for state, regional, and native governments over the following 18 months are targeted on supporting staff. Additionally important for governments are applications to assist practice and rent for generative AI experience, and dealing with trusted cloud suppliers who can ship the dimensions and accountable partnership required for achievement.
Microsoft’s duty within the period of AI
Accountable AI has lengthy been a cornerstone of Microsoft’s management in cloud and AI. Our recognition of the necessity for a world settlement on accountable AI and cybersecurity was articulated by Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith in his 2017 name for “The necessity for a Digital Geneva Conference.” Our dedication was additional outlined within the June 2022 Microsoft Accountable AI Commonplace, which defines a set of ideas for accountable AI and provides a set of processes that governments can use to construct their very own governance frameworks and controls.
In an October 2023 replace ready for the UK AI Security Summit, Microsoft’s AI Security Insurance policies had been defined in depth. Additionally, on the Cell World Congress in Barcelona in February 2024, Brad Smith mentioned Microsoft’s AI Entry Ideas, detailing our position and duty as an AI innovator and a market chief, and our commitments to advertise innovation and competitors within the new AI economic system. As greater than 4 billion folks in over 40 international locations put together to vote, Microsoft introduced on the Munich Safety Convention that it has joined a gaggle of 20 main know-how corporations to assist fight the misleading use of AI in 2024 elections.
Our expertise on the World Governments Summit illuminated the sheer magnitude of the problem of bringing AI to life for governments in methods which can be honest, secure, equitable, and finally net-positive for all. It’s a monumental problem, which no single firm, authorities, or entity can totally deal with. We’re happy with Microsoft’s management in accountable AI, and we additionally acknowledge that there’s a lot work but to be accomplished, and we can’t go at it alone.
Wanting ahead
For insights and help in transferring ahead with confidence, we invite authorities leaders to succeed in out to their Microsoft consultant or know-how associate. For a whole view of Microsoft’s commitments to accountable AI, see how we’re empowering accountable AI practices.
Kostas is a pacesetter in shaping trade technique for Microsoft in EMEA, specializing in activating subject groups and fostering robust relationships with authorities stakeholders. Since becoming a member of Microsoft 20 years in the past, Kostas has held numerous management roles throughout geographies to assist prospects deal with their most demanding challenges and obtain extra.
Madhavi is answerable for speaking the worth proposition of Microsoft options for Authorities prospects. She works with inside strategic groups to align firm choices to assist Governments resolve society’s greatest challenges. Since becoming a member of Microsoft in 2011, she has held quite a lot of roles targeted on driving income progress, enhancing efficiencies, and streamlining operations.
