Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
8 Results found
Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: UNESCO This Recommendation addresses ethical issues related to the domain of Artificial Intelligence to the extent that they are within UNESCO’s mandate. The protection of human rights and dignity is the cornerstone of this Recommendation. It is based on the advancement of fundamental principles such as transparency and fairness, and remembers the importance of human oversight of AI systems. However, what makes the Recommendation exceptionally applicable are its extensive Policy Action Areas, which allow policymakers to translate the core values and principles into action with respect to data governance, environment and ecosystems, gender, education and research, and health and social wellbeing, among many other spheres. 
Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research Year of publication: 2023 Author: Fengchun Miao | Wayne Holmes Corporate author: UNESCO This Guidance aims to support the planning of appropriate regulations, policies and human capacity development programmes to ensure that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes a tool that genuinely benefits and empowers teachers, learners and researchers. It explains the Al techniques used by GenAI and maps out a list of GPT models that are made publicly available, especially those under open-source licences. It also opens a discussion on the emergence of EdGPT - GenAI models that are trained with specific data to serve educational purposes. Furthermore, it summarizes some of the key controversies around GenAI, from worsening digital poverty to the homogenization of opinions, and from deeper deepfakes to issues of copyright. Based on a humanistic vision, the Guidance proposes key steps for the regulation of GenAI tools, including mandating the protection of data privacy and setting an age limit for independent conversations with GenAI platforms. To guide the proper use of the tools in education and research, this Guidance proposes a human-agent and age-appropriate approach to the ethical validation and pedagogical design processes. 
Readiness Assessment Methodology: A Tool of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO In November 2021, the 193 Member States of UNESCO signed the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the first global normative instrument in its domain. The Recommendation serves as a comprehensive and actionable framework for the ethical development and use of AI, encompassing the full spectrum of human rights. It does so by maintaining focus on all stages of the AI system lifecycle. Beyond elaborating the values and principles that should guide the ethical design, development and use of AI, the Recommendation lays out the actions required from Member States to ensure the upholding of such values and principles, through advocating for effective regulation and providing recommendations in various essential policy areas, such as gender, the environment, and communication and information. With these values, principles, and policy areas in mind, the UNESCO Secretariat elaborated a programme for the implementation of the Recommendation, with the core aim of building national capacities to discharge the actions set out in the Recommendation and bolster regulatory frameworks. The Recommendation mandated the development of two key tools, the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA), which form the core pillars of the implementation. These tools both aim to assess and promote the resilience of existing laws, policies and institutions to AI implementation in the country, as well as the alignment of AI systems with the values and principles set out in the Recommendation. The goal of this document is to provide more information on the Readiness Assessment Methodology, lay out its various dimensions, and detail the work plan for the implementing countries, including the type of entities that need to be involved, responsibilities of each entity, and the split of work between UNESCO and the implementing country. 
Eduaction in the Age of Articial Intelligence (The UNESCO Courier no. 4, October-December 2023) Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO At a time when the field of education is in worldwide ferment, a single instructional phenomenon has captured the attention not only of professionals but of laymen.” Does the innovation in question refer to artificial intelligence (AI), or to the use of augmented reality in the classroom? Neither one. This quote is from an article in The UNESCO Courier about “teaching machines”, a set of programmes developed in the USA to guide students in their learning. It dates back to… March 1965. Which just goes to show that pondering the role of computers in learning is nothing new. Whether lauded or decried, technologies are increasingly part of the school landscape, at least in industrialized countries. Digital learning games, online tutorials or massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become a reality for a growing number of pupils and students. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the phenomenon, spurring the rise, including in Africa, of companies specializing in digital educational services, the so-called “edtechs”. Yet no matter how sophisticated these technologies may be, they have not challenged the founding principle of a teacher giving a class simultaneously to a group of students. Artificial intelligence could be a game-changer. Does the arrival of content-generating tools like ChatGPT and intelligent tutorials mean the oft-heralded revolution has started? In any case, the use of generative AI in learning presents unprecedented challenges to education systems. As UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 highlights, these new tools can prove invaluable in providing personalized support for students, particularly those with disabilities or living in remote areas. But they also raise questions about the digital divide, data confidentiality and the preponderance of major global corporations in this sector. And for the moment, safeguards are lacking. It is therefore urgent that regulations be adopted to ensure the use of AI in education remains human-centred, in the best interests of students. To support this, UNESCO published in September 2023 the first-ever Guidance for generative AI in education and research, designed to address the disruptions caused by these technologies. It complements other tools produced by the Organization, including the Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence and a guidance for policy-makers on AI and education, both published in 2021. 
The Effects of AI on the Working Lives of Women Year of publication: 2022 Author: Clementine Collett | Gina Neff | Livia Gouvea Gomes Corporate author: UNESCO | Inter-American Development Bank | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) The use of AI technologies will affect women’s opportunities for work, and their position, status and treatment in the workplace. Around the globe, women in the labour force earn less than men, spend more time undertaking unpaid child- and elder-care jobs, hold fewer senior positions, participate less in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and tend to hold more precarious jobs overall. In harnessing AI, governments, institutions and companies must narrow gender gaps rather than perpetuate or exacerbate them. This report, by the IDB, OECD and UNESCO, outlines current knowledge of the impact that AI systems have on women’s opportunities for work, and their position, treatment and status in the workforce. It does so by exploring how AI is used within and outside the workplace, and how it could be used in the future. It looks at the potential impact of new and emerging AI technologies on the skills that employers will require, on how women look for and are hired for jobs, and on how jobs are structured through automated monitoring and oversight. The report maps the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for the working lives of women and highlights the complexities that varying national and regional contexts present for understanding the impact of AI on the work of women. The report also notes that current research does not offer a complete or definite picture of how AI impacts the working lives of women and calls for further research and analysis in this area. 
Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law for the Judiciary Year of publication: 2023 Author: Miriam Stankovich | Ivana Feldfeber | Yasmín Quiroga | Marianela Ciolfi Felice | Vukosi Marivate Corporate author: UNESCO What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? How does it work? And more importantly, how does it find its way into the judicial context? Technologies such as AI have been around for decades, but only recently have they begun to be used in a variety of justice and law enforcement settings. While AI has immense potential for the justice system, helping judges make better decisions, improving efficiency, increasing access, and helping to detect and prevent crime, there are also some important issues that justice stakeholders should consider as they prepare for a future in which AI is increasingly used in justice systems.In 2022, UNESCO launched two needs assessments. First, through UNESCO’s Artificial Intelligence Needs Assessment Survey in Africa, 90% of the 32 countries surveyed requested capacity building support for the Judiciary on AI. At the same time, a second global survey of judicial actors in 100 countries underlined the need for better understanding the use of AI in the administration of justice and its wider legal implications on societies.The “Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law” for the Judiciary responds to these needs and provides judicial actors (judges, prosecutors, state attorneys, public lawyers, law universities and judicial training institutions) with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the benefits and risks of AI in their work. The toolkit will assist judicial actors in mitigating the potential human rights risks of AI by providing guidance on the relevant international human rights laws, principles, rules and emerging jurisprudence that underpin the ethical use of AI. 
Missing Links in AI Governance Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute Over the next decade, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) will continue to significantly impact societies. While these scientific and technological advances take place at an extraordinary pace, it is necessary that we simultaneously stimulate a global and inclusive conversation around their development and governance. It is in this context that Mila and UNESCO join forces to steer a collective work to identify and understand missing links in AI governance. This publication is a compilation of 18 selected submissions from a global open call for proposals launched in 2021. The works featured cross disciplinary and geographical boundaries, and include the perspectives of academics, civil society representatives, and innovators to help shift the conversation on AI from what we do know and foresee to what we do not, the missing links. The topics covered are wide ranging, including AI and Indigenous rights, Deepfakes, Third-Party Audits of AI Systems, AI alignment with SDGs, and the centralization of decision-making power AI allows. Policymakers and civil society members will benefit from the insightful perspectives brought forward to face the immense task they are presented with – which is to ensure the development of AI in a human-centred, responsible and ethical way, in accordance with human rights. 
Generative AI and the Future of Education Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO. Assistant Director-General for Education, 2018- (Giannini, Stefania) The digital revolution has brought about significant changes in how we live, learn, and interact, with multiple waves of technological advancements. The current AI revolution represents a new and profound shift, particularly through AI's ability to simulate human language and conversation. This development challenges our understanding of language, intelligence, and the role of technology in education and society.As AI begins to generate human-like responses and knowledge, it raises fundamental questions about its impact on education, societal values, and our concept of humanity. Education systems are now grappling with how to integrate and regulate AI, which has been rapidly introduced into classrooms without sufficient oversight. The author emphasizes the importance of carefully considering the risks and ethical implications of AI, particularly in its potential to manipulate and shape knowledge systems. There is a need for balanced development, where AI technology is aligned with human values, and education remains a deeply human-centered process.UNESCO is working with countries to develop strategies for the safe use of AI in education, emphasizing the need for a cautious approach and robust regulatory frameworks. The overarching message is that while AI offers immense possibilities, it must be integrated thoughtfully to ensure it enhances education and society without undermining human agency, equity, or the foundational values of learning.