A resolution proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 140 countries including the U.S. was passed unanimously at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

The resolution calls for “human-centered” development of AI and that it should benefit all nations.

The resolution puts a particular emphasis on equality, stresses that international cooperation should help developing countries build their AI capacity. Meanwhile, their voice should also be included more in global AI governance in an “open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment.”

China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, pointed out that many developing countries have not been able to access or benefit from the use of AI as the global digital divide continues to widen.

“The goal is to help all countries, especially developing ones, equally benefit from AI development, bridge the digital divide, improve global AI governance, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Fu.

The adoption of the resolution was warmly welcomed and highly appreciated by many developing countries, according to the Chinese permanent mission to the UN.

They unanimously agreed that the resolution’s focus on AI capacity building and its series of practical measures are of milestone importance in bridging the global digital divide and promoting the shared benefits of AI development among countries, according to the mission.

“Past global discussions may have focused on the issues of AI safety, ethics and governance. However, for many low- and middle-income countries, they lack even the most basic AI infrastructure, let alone the capability for AI innovation and application,” said Zeng Yi, a member of the United Nations AI Advisory Body and professor at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“The original purpose of AI technology was to empower sustainable development and bridge the digital divide. However, this divide has now widened, making governance issues critically important. Capacity building is a crucial core element aimed at helping these low- and middle-income countries bridge this digital divide and ensuring that the benefits of AI reach them,” Zeng said.

Meanwhile, AI technology is already showing its potential in developing countries. A survey of 11,900 people in the Asia-Pacific region conducted by Deloitte in May found that generative AI is already transforming how people work. According to the company, the AI revolution is unsurprisingly led by the younger generation who grew up being surrounded by smart devices, voice assistants and recommendation algorithms.

“They’ve experienced AI in various aspects of their lives, from entertainment and education to health care and daily interactions since early childhood. As such, they’re characterized by their digital fluency and ability to navigate and use AI technologies,” said the company in a report.

Developing economies in the region are at the forefront of adopting generative AI, with adoption rates roughly 30% higher than those in developed economies. Notably, daily usage is significantly higher in India (32%) and Southeast Asian countries (19%), compared to Australia (8%) and Japan (4%).

Deloitte attributes this adoption gap partly to the larger proportion of “digitally native” individuals in developing economies. In India, 46% of those surveyed were aged between 18 and 35, whereas only 30% of respondents in Japan fell within this age group.

Source(s): CGTN

Israeli forces advanced further on Sunday into the Shejaia neighborhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation.

Israeli tanks, which moved back into Shejaia four days ago, fired shells towards several houses, according to residents, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave.

The Israeli military said forces operating in Shejaia had killed several Palestinian gunmen over the past day and found military infrastructure inside a United Nations school as well as dozens of weapons and “valuable intelligence documents”.

Hamas denies using civilian sites such as schools and hospitals for military purposes.

The armed wing of Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad reported fierce fighting in both Shejaia and Rafah, saying their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs against Israeli forces operating there.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that “60,000 to 80,000 people were displaced” from Shejaia since new fighting broke out there on June 27 and the army issued evacuation orders.

More than eight months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, militants continue to stage attacks on Israeli forces, operating in areas that the Israeli army said it had gained control over months ago.

UN and other relief agencies have voiced alarm over the dire humanitarian crisis and the threat of starvation that the conflict and Israeli siege have brought to Gaza’s 2.4 million people.

“It is really unbearable,” said Ms Louise Wateridge from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees after returning to the city of Khan Younis.

“Everything is rubble, and yet people are living there again,” she added.

Meanwhile, Arab mediators’ efforts, backed by the United States, have stalled.

Also on Sunday, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, said as reported by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, “there is no legitimacy for any foreign presence on Palestinian lands, and only the Palestinian people can decide who governs and manages their affairs.”

That’s a response to Israeli statements calling for the handover of the Gaza Strip to international forces.

On Friday, Israeli public radio Kan reported that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the transitional phase plan for Gaza during his visit to the United States days ago.

The plan would be overseen by a steering committee led by the U.S. and involving moderate Arab countries, according to the radio.

Rudeineh said that the Israeli government “is delusional if it thinks it can decide the fate of the Palestinian people and cement the occupation by bringing in foreign forces.”

He added that “the Palestine issue is about land and statehood, not just humanitarian aid; it is a sacred issue and the central cause for Arabs.”

Source(s): Xinhua

Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the United Nations (UN) called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.

The armed wings of both Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said they were engaged in ongoing fighting with Israeli forces there.

Israel’s military, meanwhile, said its operations were continuing in Shujaiya where fighting “above and below the ground” left a “large number” of militants dead. A resurgence of fighting in the area comes months after Israel declared the command structure of Hamas fighters dismantled in northern Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has also led to soaring tensions on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, leading Iran on Saturday to warn of an “obliterating” war if Israel attacked Lebanon.

Further south, in the Rafah area, witnesses reported dead and wounded people after a new Israeli incursion.

Tarek Qandeel, director of the medical center in Al-Maghazi, central Gaza, said it was seriously damaged when a neighboring house was bombed, making it the latest Gaza medical facility affected by the conflict.

The United Nations, in a report on Friday citing Gaza’s Health Ministry, said “about 70 per cent of health infrastructure has been destroyed.”

Separately, a UN spokeswoman, Louise Wateridge, said by video link she had just returned to central Gaza after four weeks outside the territory.

“It’s really unbearable,” she said, describing a “significantly deteriorated” situation.

“There’s no water there, there’s no sanitation, there’s no food,” and people are returning to live in “empty shells” of buildings.

Meanwhile, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said on Saturday there has been no progress in ceasefire talks with Israel over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Palestinian group is still ready to “deal positively” with any ceasefire proposal that ends the deadly fighting, Hamdan told a news conference in Beirut. Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday discussed with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel the course of ongoing negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The call came after Israel’s Hebrew public radio Kan reported that the U.S. administration presented a revised version of a prisoner exchange deal that includes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The new offer is based on the proposal approved by the then-Israeli war cabinet and presented by U.S. President Joe Biden last month, the radio said.

Arab mediators’ efforts, backed by the U.S., have so far failed to conclude a ceasefire with both sides blaming each other for the impasse.

Source(s): Xinhua