WPF commends CAIDP’s AI and Democratic Values Index

WPF commends the publication of the Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values Index by the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP). The Index, which was published 21 February 2022, contains an overview of AI implementation in the country-level context, covering 50 countries, and focusing on how implementations are progressing. WPF’s Executive Director, Pam Dixon, contributed to this years’ Index.  

“I am pleased to be a contributor to the CAIDP Index,” said Pam Dixon. “It is extremely important to measure implementations of national AI strategies, to compare ambitious AI strategies ‘on the books’ to implementations as they are ‘on the ground’, in reality, and over time.” This is Dixon’s second round of contributions to the report, the first being for the 2020 report.

Dixon is a part of the OECD AI Group of Experts. She worked on the OECD AI Principles, which were adopted in May 2019, and continues to work with OECD in its AI Observatory.

Related Documents and Information: 

The Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) today released the updated global ranking of countries, based on national AI policies and practices. The report – Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values Index measured progress toward AI policies that safeguard human rights and the rule of law. The AIDV Index bridges the gap between policies and practices with fact- based evaluations of individual countries, and ratings and rankings to compare countries and to evaluate trends over time.

The ground-breaking analysis of AI in 50 countries was conducted by a global team of AI policy experts. The findings include ambitious plans and wide disparities on metrics such as data privacy, algorithmic transparency, and public participation in policy development. Some countries are making progress. Others have work to do to catch up with democratic norms.

“We have reasons for optimism and reasons for concern,” said CAIDP Chair Merve Hickok. “The AIDV Index found global support for strong frameworks to regulate AI. At the same time, the threats to fundamental rights, enabled by AI techniques, are on the rise.”

The AIDV Index, prepared by CAIDP, is based on global norms found in the OECD/G20 AI Principles, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the new UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics. Policies and practices were evaluated for 50 countries. There was also careful analysis of AI related developments in 2021 at international organizations, including the G7 and the G20, the European Union, and the Council of Europe. This was the second edition of the report, and reflected the contributions of more than 100 experts and advocates from almost 40 countries. (See full release here.)