International AI ethics panel must be independent

Facial-recognition software is increasingly being used to track individuals without their permission.Credit: David McNew/AFP/Getty China wants to be the world's leader in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030. The United States has a strategic plan to retain the top spot, and, by some measures, already leads in influential papers, hardware and AI talent. Other wealthy nations are also jockeying for a place in the world AI league. A kind of AI arms race is under way, and governments and corporations are pouring eye-watering sums into research and development. The prize, and it's a big one, is that AI is forecast to add around US$15 trillion to the world economy by 2030 -- more than four times the 2017 gross domestic product of Germany.