Establishment of the UNICRI Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in The Hague (The Netherlands)

On Thursday 7 September, the Director of UNICRI, Cindy Smith, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the International Organizations, Johan van der Werff, signed the Host Country Agreement for the establishment of the first United Nations Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, in The Hague, The Netherlands. The benefits of AI and robotics will be of paramount importance for society in the years to come. Critical areas such as health, education, energy, economic inclusion, social welfare, the environment, as well as crime prevention, security, stability and justice, will benefit from the progress being made. However, this growth will not be costless if societies will not be prepared to take up the gauntlet to address relevant challenges, for the greater good. Many of these challenges also present opportunities that can be developed if the implications involved by this technological revolution are addressed from the very beginning.