TORONTO, October 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — UN-Habitat, the United Nations organization working for sustainable urbanization in more than 90 countries, and Mila, the world’s largest deep learning university research center, announce the launch of their white paper collaborative offering ideas and recommendations on how artificial intelligence (AI) could be harnessed to support the development of socially and ecologically sustainable cities and human settlements.
Mila & UN-Habitat logo
Intended to support both urban managers and practitioners, the white paper, which is part of UN-Habitat’s strategy to promote a people-centric approach to digital transformation, outlines the added value and current challenges AI in Cities and provides a set of practical recommendations to improve how AI is used and promotes sustainable cities and inclusive inclusive communities.
The document covers urban applications of AI in a wide range of sectors (energy, mobility, public safety, health, etc.) and covers important topics such as trade-offs and risks of AI, approaches and applications specific to urban AI in urban governance.
The document will be unveiled during a panel discussion at the Urban Economy Forum (UEF) 2022 in Toronto.
“AI, like any other technology, can be a force that widens or narrows social gaps depending on how it is applied. We have a collective responsibility to appropriately use and integrate AI solutions and to ensure that there are no unintended consequences.” said Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat.
The objective of the white paper is to provide local authorities with the necessary guidance they need to weigh the pros and cons of AI in promoting sustainable local communities. Local authorities regularly make decisions about AI that impact people’s lives, and need tools to assess where and for whom AI adds value and whether it is appropriate in a given context. The document serves as a knowledge resource to help guide decision-making regarding positive engagement and use of AI for sustainable, smart, and people-centered cities and human settlements.
“Like any other transformational opportunity, integrating AI into urban environments comes with challenges and risks that need to be taken and seriously addressed for AI to benefit societies,” says Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of the direction of Mila. “This white paper could be a very useful tool for local authorities who, like UN-Habitat and Mila, are committed to the responsible development of AI.”
Visit https://unhabitat.org/ to access the full white paper.
Main authors of the white paper:
- Jean Louis Denis, Professor (UdeM)
- Golnoosh FarnadiAssistant Professor (HEC Montreal), Senior Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR Chair in AI
- Shaz JamesonPhD student (Tilburg Institute of Law and Technology, UdeM, Mila)
- shin kosekiAssistant Professor (UdeM), Director (UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape)
- Catherine Regisfull professor (UdeM), associate academic member (Mila)
- David RollickAssistant Professor (McGill university), Senior Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR Chair in AI
More details on the launch event:
- Event: Panel on the launch of the report “AI and Cities: Risks Applications and Governance” by UN-Habitat and Mila during the 4th Urban Economy Forum (UEF4) on sustainable urban finance. UEF4 will begin with the opening session on monday october 3 at 9:00 a.m. (EDT).
- Location: Toronto, Canada World Urban Pavilion (WUP) at Regent Park Powered by Daniels and virtually. Free registration link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/uef4-tickets-344374632797?discount=COMPLIMENTARY100
- Launch time: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 4:45 p.m. (EDT)
- Speakers:
- Anna Jan (moderator), Director of Public Policy and Learning, AI for Humanity (Mila)
- Golnoosh FarnadiAssistant Professor (HEC Montreal), Senior Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR Chair in AI
- Shaz JamesonPhD student (Tilburg Institute of Law and Technology, UdeM, Mila)
- David RollickAssistant Professor (McGill university), Senior Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR Chair in AI
- More information about UEF4: https://www.ueforum.org/uef4
About UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is the United Nations program working for a better urban future. Its mission is to promote the development of socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements and the achievement of adequate housing for all. It works in more than 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action. It works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities while promoting urbanization as a force for positive transformation for people and communities, reducing inequalities, discrimination and poverty. For more information, visit UN-Habitat – A better urban future | UN-Habitat (unhabitat.org)
About Mila
Founded by Professor Joshua Bengio of the Montreal university, Mila is an artificial intelligence research institute that brings together more than 1,000 researchers specializing in machine learning. Situated at Montreal, Mila’s mission is to be a global hub for scientific advancements that inspire innovation and the development of AI for the benefit of all. Mila is a non-profit organization recognized worldwide for its significant contributions in the field of deep learning, particularly in language modeling, machine translation, object recognition and generative models. For more information, visit mila.quebec
Media contacts: Katerina Bezgachina (UN-Habitat), [email protected]; Eric Oh (NATIONAL Public Relations for Mila), [email protected]
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1913491/Mila___Quebec_AI_Institute_AI_and_Cities__UN_Habitat_and_Mila_la.jpg
SOURCE Mila – Quebec AI Institute
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