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Global AI response critical

cement their dominance in the booming sector, there are concerns that precautions could be thrown to the wind – and that those who lose the race or do not have the capacity to take part will be left behind. The ITU chief hailed “mind-blowing” advances within artificial intelligence, with the potential to improve everything from education to agriculture to health care – but insisted the benefits must be shared. Without a concerted effort, there is a risk that AI will end up standing for “advancing inequalities”, she warned, cautioning against deepening an already dire digital divide worldwide. “We have 2.6 billion people that have no access to the internet, which means they have no access to artificial intelligence,” Bogdan Martin said. “We have to tackle those divides if we’re actually going to have something that is beneficial to all of humanity.” – AFP

approaches to dialogue,” she said. At the same time, she highlighted that “85% of countries don’t yet have AI policies or strategies”. A consistent theme among those strategies that do exist is the focus on innovation, capacity building and infrastructure investments, Bogdan Martin said.

for “a global approach”. Her comments came after US President Donald Trump this week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI. Among more than 90 proposals, Trump’s plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to “remove red tape and onerous regulation” that could hinder private sector AI development. Asked if she had concerns about an approach that urges less, not more, regulation of AI technologies, Bogdan-Martin refrained from commenting, saying she was “still trying to digest” the US plan. “I think there are different approaches,” she said. “We have the EU approach. We have the Chinese approach. Now we’re seeing the US approach. I think what’s needed is for those

o ’Debate should focus on how much regulation’

GENEVA: The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, top UN tech chief said last week, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities. Doreen Bogdan-Martin (pic) , head of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said she hoped that AI “can actually benefit humanity”. But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology – including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation and society’s fabric fraying – she insisted that regulation was key. “There’s an urgency to try to get ... the right framework in place,” she said, stressing the need

“But where I think the debate still needs to happen at a global level is trying to figure out how much regulation, how little regulation, is needed,” she said. Bogdan-Martin insisted the Geneva-based telecoms agency that sets standards for new technologies was well-placed to help facilitate much-needed dialogue on the issue. “The need for a global approach I think is critical,” she said, cautioning that “fragmented approaches will not help serve and reach all”. As countries and companies sprint to

11 INJURED AT WALMART STORE STABBING WASHINGTON: At least 11 people were injured in a stabbing at a Walmart store in the Midwestern state of Michigan on Saturday, with police saying it appeared to be a random attack. A 42-year-old male suspect was in custody, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told a press conference. “It appears they were random acts,” Shea said of the attack in Traverse City, Michigan. “The victims were not predetermined,” Shea said, adding that the suspect, a Michigan resident, apparently acted alone and used a “folding knife”. Six victims were in critical condition late on Saturday and five were in serious condition, Munson Healthcare said in a statement. At least three of the victims were undergoing surgery, according to Shea. The victims included six men and five women. – AFP PLANE DIVES TO AVOID MID-AIR COLLISION LOS ANGELES: A Southwest Airlines flight plunged mid-air on Friday to avoid colliding with another aircraft while en route to Las Vegas, injuring two flight attendants, as passengers described flying out of their seats. Minutes after taking off from Burbank, California, the flight dropped several dozen metres according to flight tracking websites. American stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore said in an X post that he and “plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling” as the flight “aggressively” dove midair. The pilot of Southwest Flight 1496 told passengers the manoeuvre was needed to avoid colliding with another plane. The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was “investigating the incident”. – AFP

BR I E F S

Relieved KMT lawmakers celebrating the rejection in Taipei yesterday. – AFPPIC

Taiwan move to recall opposition lawmakers fails TAIPEI: Taiwan opposition lawmakers survived a major recall election on Saturday, thwarting a bid to oust one-fifth of the island’s parliamentarians – a move supporters had hoped would send a message to China but that opponents called an assault on democracy. impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending. KMT Chairman Eric Chu thanked Taiwan’s voters and called for Lai to apologise and reflect on his own governance. voters’ decision with pleasure, adding that the result would only strengthen the DPP’s “anti communist and pro-Taiwan” stance.

The groups seeking the recalls said theirs was an “anti-communist” movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai’s “dictatorship” and “green terror” – referring to the DPP’s party colour. The KMT campaigned against what it called a “malicious” recall that failed to respect the result of last year’s election, saying they have simply been keeping lines of communication open with Beijing and exercising legitimate oversight of Lai’s government. Recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers will be held on Aug 23. – Reuters following a bird strike, but the left engine was shut down 19 seconds after the bird strike. The right engine experienced a “surge” and emitted flames and black smoke, but investigators said it “was confirmed to be generating output sufficient for flight”, in the five-page update, which included post-crash photos of both engines. No reason for the crew’s actions was given and the probe is expected to last months as

“One should not lose the elections and then call for malicious recalls. One should not seek one-party dominance and destroy democracy,” he told a press briefing in Taipei. “Most importantly, the people of Taiwan chose stability and chose a government that gets things done, rather than political infighting.” The Taiwan Affairs Office in China said in a statement yesterday that the voting results show that “the DPP’s political manipulation is completely contrary to the people’s will and is unpopular”. Wu Szu-yao, secretary general of the DPP’s legislative caucus, said the party respected the

All recall votes against 24 lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, were rejected, according to live vote counts by Taiwanese media. The voting followed a campaign begun by civic groups. The election result is a blow to President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party, which has missed an opportunity to reshape the Taiwan legislature and regain its majority. While Lai won last year’s presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and

Jeju Air jet still had a working engine when it crashed SEOUL: A Jeju Air plane that crashed in December during an emergency landing after a bird strike could have kept flying on the damaged engine that was still working after pilots shut down the other one, according to an update from South Korean investigators. The Boeing 737-800 instead belly-landed at Muan airport without its landing gear down, overshot the runway and erupted into a fireball after slamming into an embankment, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Investigators have not yet produced a final report into the crash, but information about the plane’s two engines has begun to emerge. According to a July 19 update prepared by investigators and seen by Reuters but not publicly released following complaints from victims’ family members, the left engine sustained less damage than the right

investigators reconstruct the plane’s technical state and the picture understood by its pilots. Experts say most air accidents are caused by multiple factors and caution against putting too much weight on incomplete evidence. Safety experts say it is common for early reports to contain sparse facts and limited analysis while investigations continue. – Reuters