A critical skills gap among government officials threatens to undermine global artificial intelligence regulation efforts just as geopolitical tensions over AI governance intensify.
What Happened: Only 17% of government leaders have plans to improve their AI skills, Apolitical CEO Robyn Scott revealed at Fortune’s Brainstorm AI conference in London. “That’s a disaster. We can’t have our governments, our regulators, our implementers that poorly skilled in AI,” Scott warned.
Scott emphasized that clarity is crucial when implementing AI regulation. “Clarity is half the battle,” she said, noting the “burden of understanding is immense” for large government organizations trying to interpret high-level directives.
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Why It Matters: Europe has implemented its comprehensive AI Act, while the UK pursues sector-specific oversight. Laura Gilbert from the Tony Blair Institute cautioned against overly specific regulation that lacks future-proofing.
The skills gap emerges as the U.S. and UK recently declined to sign a global AI safety declaration at the Paris AI Action Summit, breaking from previous cooperative stances. U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized “overly precautionary” regulations while China, India and Germany were among approximately 60 nations endorsing the non-binding agreement.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has proposed to the President Donald Trump administration an acceleration in AI development with reduced regulation, highlighting potential threats from Chinese AI advancement. The proposal advocates for “the freedom to innovate in the national interest” through “voluntary partnership between the federal government and private sector.”
Some nations are taking proactive measures, with the UAE making AI training mandatory for all government employees. However, Scott noted that while pilot programs exist, “We’ve got very good adoption of pilots, less at-scale work.”
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
