OECD Working Party and Network of Experts on AI

The Working Party on Artificial Intelligence Governance oversees the OECD's work on AI policy. The OECD.AI Network of Experts provides policy, technical and business expert input to inform OECD analysis and recommendations.

Expert Group on AI Futures

While AI policy discussions often consider existing AI challenges related to bias, discrimination, safety, privacy and accountability, the long-term implications of rapidly advancing AI systems remain largely unknown. Possible future risks from AI include untrustworthy AI systems deployed in critical infrastructure, AI triggering the job displacement of high-skilled workers and mass manipulation through increasingly capable AI models, among others. Foresight activities are critical to understand the long-term impacts of AI better, proactively manage prospective risks and avoid future harm.  

The OECD Expert Group on AI Futures aims to address these challenges by providing insights into the future of AI and equipping governments with the knowledge and tools necessary to develop forward-looking AI policies. More specifically, the group provides insights on:

  • key milestones for possible future developments in advanced AI systems;
  • various risks associated with each milestone;
  • best practices in AI safety;
  • scenarios about AI’s future; and
  • suggested policy approaches to mitigate future risks while harnessing the benefits of AI.

In addition, the group assesses the possible long-term advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the stage at which autonomous machines could reach human-level intelligence. While views differ on the likelihood and timing of AGI, there is broad consensus among experts that the possibility of AGI should be planned for and its risks mitigated well ahead of its emergence.

The group’s work leverages internal OECD foresight expertise from the Committee of Scientific and Technological Policy and the Strategic Foresight Unit. The work will be informed by the forthcoming OECD AI incidents monitor, which aims to build evidence for AI risk, inform governments of the critical types of risk and classify incidents in ways that will assist in identifying emerging trends.

By engaging with policy makers, experts and partners from all stakeholder groups, the OECD is working to ensure countries are well-prepared for the future of AI. This work advances the OECD’s mission to help implement the OECD Principles for Trustworthy AI.

Previous workshops on the future of AI

On 19 April 2023, the OECD Working Party on AI Governance and the OECD.AI Network of Experts held an Expert Forum on AI Foresight and Generative AI.

On 29 March 2023, the OECD held a panel discussion on AI foresight as part of the 2023 conference on in Work, Innovation, Productivity and Skills (WIPS).

On 20 October 2022, the OECD convened a small select group of experts to discuss emerging risks related to possible future developments in artificial intelligence. The goal of the workshop was to inform the OECD’s work on AI policy, global co-operation, and emerging critical risks.

On 11 January 2022, a small group of leaders and experts from MIT, the OECD and Germany got together to discuss how AI can be expected to transform by 2032 and its implications for public policy.

Co-chairs

Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science – University of California, Berkeley

Francesca Rossi, IBM Fellow and AI Ethics Global Leader – IBM

Michael Schönstein, Head of Strategic Foresight & Analysis – Policy Lab Digital, Work & Society, Germany

Members

Click here to view Expert Group members.