Minister of Digitalization on the road to responsible AI: Politicians need to listen more

To achieve the goal of responsible AI, politicians must become better at listening and asking questions. This was stated by Minister for Digitalization Caroline Stage Olsen when she gave the opening speech at the Youth Hearing on the future of responsible AI.

"Today is the culmination of a project that is more important than just handing over some visions of artificial intelligence to us politicians. It's a reminder that the important thing in politics is not always answers. It's just as much about questions. The curious, open and critical questions."

The Minister of Digitization therefore invites citizens, professionals, lawyers, philosophers, developers - young and old - into the democratic conversation.

The youth consultation is one way to create that conversation.

Over 700 young people and practitioners have worked over the past six months to create future scenarios for responsible AI towards 2040. The Youth Hearing was the culmination of this work, where young people presented the results to members of the Danish Parliament's Committee for Digitalization and IT.

We need ethical innovation
There is no clear answer to how we create responsible AI.

How do we balance innovation and ethical values in the development of artificial intelligence, the Minister of Digitization asked the 200 young people and experts who attended the Youth Hearing in the Common Hall at Christiansborg.

A complex issue, because there are many big dilemmas we face when regulating AI:

"If we regulate too much, we will fall behind in the technological race," says the Minister of Digitalization and continues:

"But at the same time, we have democratic values that are absolutely crucial that we uphold. So we have to find a way where there is room for innovation within our own ethical framework."

Dialogue doesn't slow us down - on the contrary
Being in an AI race and at the same time taking the time for a broad dialog is difficult, but crucial - because if we don't take the time for dialog, we risk running in the wrong direction and falling behind because of it.

"For me, it's one of the cores of democracy that we jointly agree to make choices that contain as much good and as little evil as possible. And of course, we must do this based on an open conversation," says the minister.

Only time will tell whether we will reach the goal with this conversation. No concrete measures were put in place for the Youth Hearing, but it was a step in the direction of listening more, as the minister seeks.  

Watch the Minister's speech and learn more about the dilemmas she sees we face when regulating AI.

Read the epinion survey: "Danish young people are worried that artificial intelligence will erode trust and credibility"

Read the project catalog about Folketingets Wild Week: "Responsible AI in Denmark towards 2040"