In Effect Guidance AI Safety Context Relevance

UNESCO AI Ethics

UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Global normative framework adopted by all 193 UN Member States. Policy Area 8 (Health and Social Wellbeing) directly addresses mental health AI.

Jurisdiction

International

INTL

Enacted

Nov 23, 2021

Effective

Nov 23, 2021

Enforcement

Not specified

Who Must Comply

This law applies to:

• All 193 UN member states (voluntary implementation)

Who bears obligations:

Developer Deployer

This regulation places direct obligations on deployers (organizations using AI systems).

Safety Provisions

• Policy Area 8: Health and Social Wellbeing—mental health AI
• Human rights and dignity framing
• Risk assessment + impact orientation
• Transparency and explainability
• Accountability and oversight
• Special attention to children and vulnerable groups
• Readiness Assessment Methodology
• Ethical Impact Assessment framework

Primary Source

UNESCO (opens in new tab)

https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics

Quick Facts

Binding: No
Mental Health Focus: Yes
Child Safety Focus: No
Algorithmic Scope: Yes

Why It Matters

Universal adoption creates global ethical benchmark. Referenced in national legislation and procurement.

Cite This

APA

International. (2021). UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://nope.net/regs/unesco-ai-ethics

BibTeX

@misc{unesco_ai_ethics,
  title = {UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence},
  author = {International},
  year = {2021},
  url = {https://nope.net/regs/unesco-ai-ethics}
}

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