Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at a major AI summit in New Delhi on Thursday, as calls were made to safeguard children against the misuse of advanced technology.
The Crown Prince arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to represent the Emirates at the AI Impact Summit, which has brought together heads of state, government leaders, policymakers and experts from more than 100 countries.
Mr Macron stressed that a priority of the G7 – of which France holds the presidency for this year – should be to protect younger generations from the harmful effect of social media and artificial intelligence.
“There is no reason our children should be exposed online to what is legally forbidden in the real world,” Mr Macron said, in remarks shared by Bloomberg. “One of our priorities during the G7 presidency will be children’s protection against AI and digital-related abuse.”
He urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the initiative, to help form a “new coalition of the willing”. India has already said it is discussing age-based restrictions with social media companies.
Mr Macron highlighted France's move to ban social media networks for under 15s, with other leading European nations such as the UK and Germany considering similar policies.
Last year, Australia became the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Khaled attends leaders session
Sheikh Khaled attended a key session at the summit, chaired by Mr Modi, on ways to bolster international co-operation on the adoption of AI.
The summit’s Leaders Plenary examined efforts to harness AI to spur economic growth and to advance collaboration between the Global North and Global South over the use of the technology.
The meeting also endorsed the Leaders' Statement, which set out plans to strengthen the global governance of AI.
An education task force last year called on governments to introduce a mandatory artificial intelligence charter in schools and universities around the world, after a study found a majority of learners believe limits should be placed on the use of AI.
The HP Futures Report, released last November, set out the need for robust measures to protect pupils while harnessing AI's potential in a rapidly changing education sector.
A charter would aim to guarantee data privacy, establish safeguards for minors and prevent exploitative use of the advanced technology.
The report warned of overreliance on AI by school pupils, which could hamper critical thinking, but underlined the importance of future generations mastering its use to prepare them for the workplace.
Building tech ties
The UAE is seeking to bolster international co-operation in advanced technology and build partnerships to accelerate the adoption of AI during the event, which concludes on February 20.
In recent years, the country has been at the forefront of efforts to harness the responsible use of AI to drive development and boost efficiency. The wide-ranging strategy has led to the establishment of start-ups, partnerships and investment from industry leaders.
During US President Donald Trump's visit to the UAE last May, both countries agreed to step up their collaboration on AI and unveiled plans for a new 5-gigawatt UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi.
The almost 26-square-kilometre site will be built by UAE company G42 and run in partnership with several US firms.
