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All 193 member states of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) have unanimously adopted a series of recommendations on ethical artificial intelligence (AI), which aim to realise the advantages of the technology while reducing the human rights risks associated with its use. The recommendations – adopted by all member states including the UK and China on 25 November 2021 – address issues around transparency, accountability, surveillance, data protection, the environment, social scoring and more; and noted the need for governments and tech firms to build AI technologies that protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms. The first draft of the recommendation was published in May 2020, and was produced by a multidisciplinary unit of 24 AI specialists known as the Ad Hoc Expert Group (AHEG), which was formed two months earlier with the specific task of developing a framework that takes into account the wide-ranging impacts of AI. The draft was then opened for public consultation ...