The digital realm presents a crucial challenge of bridging the gap between technological innovation and regulatory frameworks. This challenge necessitates collaboration among policymakers, tech companies, and society to shape the future of digital governance. Here, the importance of multi-stakeholder dialogue and agile governance becomes evident that fosters innovation, and ensures that the societal impacts of groundbreaking technologies are carefully addressed.
Leading these efforts at the forefront of digital policy is Ayisha Piotti—Managing Partner at RegHorizon. Ayisha’s passion lies in crafting bridges between the diverse needs of policymakers, companies, and the broader society, particularly on emerging issues related to digital technologies. Her recent work has focused extensively on building public policy solutions in the realms of Internet Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Data Protection and Use, and E-commerce.
With over 20 years of experience, Ayisha is a strategic alliance builder who has tackled complex regulatory and fiscal challenges by collaborating with a wide array of stakeholders, including politicians, diplomatic missions, international organizations, government ministries, along consumer and business associations.
Ayisha is a passionate and decisive leader with a profound understanding of business drivers, adept at identifying trends and opportunities and ensuring execution at local, regional, and global levels.
Let’s know more!
Diverse Paths to a Shared Future
Growing up, Ayisha lived in various parts of the world, encountering children from different backgrounds. This early exposure instilled in her the understanding that people’s perspectives are shaped by their unique experiences and values. Despite these differences, she observed a common thread—underlying similar goals and aspirations, masked by varying viewpoints that could lead to misunderstandings.
Ayisha’s career further solidified this belief. From working at the United Nations to a global corporation and then transitioning to academia and social entrepreneurship, she witnessed diverse perspectives across the public and private sectors. Despite differences in immediate stated goals for different stakeholders, Ayisha recognized a shared desire for a prosperous and healthy society.
She highlights a fundamental truth that most of us, regardless of our roles—employee, employer, parent, teacher, citizen, or lawmaker share—a common aspiration for a world that upholds human rights, safety, and the rule of law, and a thriving global economy that benefits us all.
Ayisha believes the key lies in bridging these seemingly opposing views through dialogue. Her passion lies in fostering collaboration, identifying common ground, and building bridges between diverse interests. This desire to connect the dots and find shared goals is what truly drives her.
Need for Responsible AI Development
Ayisha believes that AI holds immense potential, but it’s crucial to develop it responsibly to maximize the benefits for everyone. We all share a common goal—leverage AI for the greater good, both now and in the future. To achieve this, building trust is essential and open discussions about the technology’s potential risks and opportunities are necessary.
Moreover, the recent explosion of AI discussions sparked by tools like ChatGPT highlights the need for a global conversation on AI governance. While discussions about these risks existed before, ChatGPT brought them to the forefront. OpenAI, by releasing this tool, aimed to trigger a global debate about AI’s benefits and drawbacks, prompting public and policymaker attention.
The key challenge lies in mitigating various risks. These include potential privacy violations, increased bias leading to discrimination, and the spread of misinformation through AI’s ability to generate incorrect responses. Additionally, AI-powered tools like facial recognition raise concerns about mass surveillance. One pressing concern is around economic disruption—AI’s potential to replace many tasks across various sectors could lead to widespread employment disruption even if new jobs are likely to be created in due course.
Proactive measures are essential to navigate this inevitable transition. Regulations and open policy discussions are crucial for managing the change. Ayisha emphasizes that effective policymaking requires collaboration between diverse stakeholders. She believes policymaking goes beyond crafting laws; it’s about societal decision-making, considering trade-offs, and reaching agreements on how AI should be developed and implemented.
Importance of Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue
Policymaking for AI involves setting boundaries and defining “red lines”—things society deems unacceptable, like human cloning. Similar to how we controlled nuclear technology, responsible AI development requires careful consideration of its applications.
Effective policymaking necessitates open discussions where all voices are heard. Historically, decisions made by a select few have not always served the majority’s best interests. The Industrial Revolution serves as a stark reminder of the importance of inclusive discussions.
This is where Ayisha’s organization, RegHorizon, comes in. They promote trust in emerging technologies by advocating for policy solutions, building capacity, and facilitating dialogue between governments, academia, businesses, and civil society.
Ayisha also highlights the AI Policy Summit, which she launched in 2019 with the Center for Law and Economics at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). Even before the recent surge in AI discussion, she recognized the need for clear rules to address the challenges businesses and consumers might face. A multi-stakeholder dialogue was crucial, given the rapid pace of AI development, says Ayisha.
The AI Policy Summit serves three key purposes—raising awareness, facilitating unbiased discussions on AI’s risks and benefits, and exploring policy solutions. Located in Switzerland, a country known for neutrality and innovation, the Summit aims to contribute to the global discussion on AI policy.
Five years later, the Summit has become the largest Swiss platform for AI policy discussions, boasting a global community spanning all continents and partnerships with influential Swiss and global organizations. Ayisha emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder dialogue, particularly when clear-cut solutions aren’t readily available.
The Power of Precedent
The EU took a significant step by introducing the first-ever comprehensive AI regulation in 2024 via the EU AI Act. This regulation aims to mitigate risks associated with high-risk AI applications, limit the use of certain applications altogether, and provide clear guidelines on how to move forward within Europe with AI development and use.
The Council of Europe, another rule-making body with 46 member states, is also currently working on a binding convention on AI, similar to their successful conventions on human rights and cybersecurity. This could be a major development in shaping global AI governance.
Growing Political Attention and A Multi-Faceted Approach
More recently, there has been a surge in political activity regarding AI governance, with the topic being high on the global agenda at the UN, the G7, and G20 discussions.
Regulations touching AI are also being developed in different parts of the world. For example, China has implemented selective regulations, including on Generative AI, while the US has seen an Executive Order from President Biden, in addition to individual US states like California and New York enacting binding regulations on specific AI use cases.
A critical challenge in AI governance is finding the right balance between innovation and regulation. Strict regulations could stifle the development of beneficial AI applications, but without safeguards, AI could pose risks. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
A global harmonization of AI governance is unlikely due to geopolitical nuances, different legal legacies, and the fact that different societies have different cultural norms and values. Moving forward, international standards organizations like ISO, IEEE, and NIST promise to play a vital role in bridging these gaps by establishing common ground through the creation of global AI standards.
Greater engagement in policy making of a wide set of stakeholders
New technologies are not only blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological worlds, they are disrupting how we live and work and forcing us to think about the impact they will have on our future generations.
There is a need to ensure broader participation in the policy debate. We need to include smaller companies, underrepresented stakeholders, and developing countries.
Governments need to allocate budgets and create educational environments with the specific goal of increasing awareness and technical understanding of society as a whole with regard to new technologies.
Irrespective of our role in this society, it is critical for us to engage now and provide our input into the policy debate to carve a prosperous future for the next generations!
Leading in the Age of AI
Business leaders today face a critical challenge—keeping pace with societal trends, particularly regarding AI. This awareness is crucial for several reasons.
Firstly, understanding societal needs is paramount. Leaders need to be in sync with not just their current customer base but also future generations. This means recognizing the evolving needs and concerns of society as a whole.
Secondly, a proactive approach is essential. Instead of reacting to regulations, leaders should be at the forefront of shaping AI governance. This proactive stance involves incorporating responsible AI practices into long-term business plans and allocating resources to ensure responsible development and implementation.
Thirdly, building trust requires empathy. Leaders need to acknowledge and address employee anxieties surrounding AI. Offering support through reskilling programs and fostering open communication about AI’s role in the workplace are key ways to achieve this.
Finally, trust in AI hinges on transparency. Leaders must ensure clear communication about how AI is being used within the organization. Involving employees in decision-making processes and establishing clear accountability measures are crucial steps towards building trust.
By staying abreast of societal trends and taking a proactive stance on AI, businesses can navigate the future landscape more effectively. After all, AI is an inevitable force, and every industry needs to be prepared for its impact.
Ayisha Piotti – LinkedIn
RegHorizon – LinkedIn
Website: www.reghorizon.com
