site.btaBulgarian Deputy PM Gabriel: AI Undoubtedly Offers Opportunities, Also Entails Risks

Artificial intelligence (AI) undoubtedly offers opportunities but also entails risks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said at a news briefing in New York. She discussed the topic Monday at a meeting with the U.S. State Secretary, Anthony Blinken, UK and Singapore’s Foreign Ministers James Cleverly and Vivian Balakrishnan, Kenya’s Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs Korir SingOei, Spain’s Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence Carme Artigas, and OECD Deputy Secretary General Ulrik Knudsen.

 Gabriel recalled what UN Secretary General António Guterres said Monday that only 15% of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals have been met, and noted that AI could be useful in achieving some of these goals, including in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and energy. She added that AI also poses many risks for human rights and privacy, among others.

In her words, what is most important is the fact that Bulgaria’s role as a regional innovation hub stands out. Gabriel said the way to achieve this is by attracting talent, by applications of AI, which bring real added value to the economy and attract investment.

Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that in order to build trust in AI, it should be ensured that working with it would mean privacy and protection of human rights, not loss of jobs.

Gabriel also participated in a discussion with EU Foreign Ministers where two main topics were discussed: the situation in Niger and support for Ukraine. Bulgaria has expressed its willingness to participate in three of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 10-point peace working groups: Energy Security, Food Security and Environment.

Gabriel also took part in a UN ministerial meeting organized by the EU, Saudi Arabia, and the League of Arab States in cooperation with Jordan and Egypt. The highlight of the meeting was the preparation of a comprehensive "Peace Supporting Package", the aim of which is to be activated as soon as peace is achieved in the Middle East. In Gabriel’s words, this is exactly what makes this approach to the Middle East peace process different: first, the two sides have to make peace, and then concrete projects will be implemented to ensure that this peace is sustainable. She pointed out that this plan is a product of collective, global effort, not only on the part of the EU, the US, or some of the Arab countries. She also stressed that it is not intended to replace the political efforts made so far to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians.