at UNESCO
Full TimeParent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)
Duty Station: Paris
Job Family: Social and Human Sciences
Type of contract : [[Contract Type]]
Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months
Recruitment open to : External candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 22-08-2024
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
In November 2021, 193 Member States of UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (the Recommendation). This global standard aims to leverage the positive impacts of AI while addressing its inherent risks. Countries around the world are now in the process of implementing the Recommendation, with UNESCO supporting them through various capacity-building efforts, funded through partnerships with multiple donors, including the Government of Japan, the European Commission, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
The Digital Flanders Agency has launched an Artificial Intelligence Expertise Center (AI EC) tasked with enhancing and guiding the adoption of AI across Flemish public administrations. The capacity and capability of the AI EC need to be strengthened to empower it to fulfil its coordination role among Flemish public administrations in the facilitation and implementation of AI projects. The project aims to foster Flemish public administrations’ AI-readiness and increase the adoption of AI across the Flemish public administrations in a safe, robust, trustworthy, and ethical manner. Through its three outcomes, the project focuses on strengthening (i) institutional capacity for AI governance, (ii) technical capacity for AI projects, and (iii) human capacity for AI awareness, literacy and skills within the Flemish public administrations.
Read more about the project here: www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics/flemish-government.
The Consultant will work under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Sector (ADG/SHS) and under the direct supervision of the Head of Ethics of AI Unit at UNESCO Headquarters.
As a member of the UNESCO Ethics of AI Team, the Consultant will contribute to the development of various knowledge products and the delivery of tasks to advance the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
European Commission Project
a. Produce an overview of digital legislation and frameworks related to AI: this document must provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of the regulatory environment surrounding AI, including key provisions, enforcement mechanisms, and implications for various stakeholders.
b. Provide inputs into the elaboration of the Flemish AI Strategy: this involves producing guidance on the vision, strategy and action plan of the Flemish AI Strategy and providing strategic recommendations for enhancing synergy between legislative requirements and strategic objectives.
c. Produce recommendations for an optimal AI governance structure: design of a conceptual model for the optimal AI governance structure tailored to the Flemish context. Based on this model, advice on stakeholder roles, responsibilities and resources must be provided to ensure effective implementation of the Flemish AI strategy and adherence to guiding principles based on the RAM report. The advice must contribute to the capacity-building support that the AI EC will offer beyond the project's scope to empower stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to implementing the Flemish AI strategy.
d. Assess the needs for an EU digital legislation, non-binding guidelines and interpretative documents dashboard: identify the specific features, functionalities, and information that should be included in the dashboard to effectively serve the needs of decision-makers and public administrators in Flanders. Inform the design and development of a dashboard.
e. Establish a dashboard for EU legislation: this involves making a comprehensive overview of EU digital legislation, non-binding guidelines, and interpretative documents relevant to AI, taking into account the analysis of these documents as part of the RAM exercise. Additionally, actionable suggestions must be made regarding the concrete use and uptake of the EU legislation dashboard during and beyond the duration of the project, including the interface as well as mechanisms for information collection and dissemination.
f. Testing and refinement of the dashboard: once the initial version of the government AI legislation dashboard is developed, it must undergo testing and refinement to ensure its functionality and usability. The goal is to create a user-friendly and reliable tool that effectively monitors and disseminates information about EU digital legislation, non-binding guidelines, and interpretative documents relevant to AI.
g. Assess the ratio of AI systems belonging to the high-risk/low-risk category of the AI Act: evaluate whether the AI systems used by representative entities within Flemish public administration will be classified as high-risk or low-risk according to the AI Act provisions to assess the overall ratio of high-risk/low-risk AI systems, as well as to prepare for the guidance note on the EU AI Act.
h. Produce a guidance note on the EU AI Act implications and compliance requirements: a guidance note must be produced to assist Flemish public administrations in understanding and complying with the provisions of the EU AI Act, with an initial view towards questions around liability, accountability and redressal mechanisms.
i. Assess current needs and best practices on AI self-assessment tools: assess current needs and best practices related to self-assessment tools for AI applications. The findings need to inform the development of recommendations for designing and implementing a tailored self-assessment tool suited to the needs and uses of AI in the Flemish public administration context.
j. Produce a report providing guidance on AI self-assessment tools: develop a wireframe with possible components of a self-assessment tool tailored to the needs and uses of AI in the Flemish public administration. Additionally, actionable suggestions need to be made regarding the concrete implementation of a possible self-assessment tool including the interface as well as mechanisms for information collection and dissemination. A final report must be prepared to provide actionable insights and practical guidance on the applicability of existing self-assessment tools for assessing AI applications in Flemish public administration, drawing from insights gained from the guidance note on EU AI Act implications and compliance requirements.
General Tasks
k. Engaging substantively as part of the Ethics of AI team in the regular efforts to link its work with the high-level processes related to ethics and governance of AI (including within the UN system, G20 and G7 platforms, GPAI, and others).
l. Contributing to other ongoing work of the AI Ethics Team: contributing to ongoing research and analysis conducted by the secretariat; participating in meetings; presenting the work to different stakeholders; supporting the secretariat with the preparation of different materials such as speeches, presentations, blogs, white papers etc.
Education
• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in the governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, computer science, data science, computational social science, or other related fields.
Work Experience
• A minimum of five years of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies at the national and/or international level. A PhD can count as work experience.
• Proven experience involving EU digital legislation is mandatory.
Skills and competencies
• Very good understanding of artificial intelligence's ethical, legal, social and governance issues and related digital technologies.
• Excellent knowledge of EU digital legislation, comprising the recently published AI Act.
• Excellent knowledge about the dynamics of governance of AI, including policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional mechanisms, organisational structures and processes, and initiatives by different stakeholders in this field. This includes broad familiarity with UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology and the ability to translate lessons learned and good practices into practical guidance for policymakers.
• Proven ability to draft clearly and concisely and to produce high-quality policy-oriented analysis and synthesis documents.
• Proven ability to work on multiple interrelated outputs.
Languages
• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.
Education
• Advanced university degree (PhD) in the governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, computer science, data science, computational social science, or other related fields.
Work Experience
• Experience conducting research and analysis and/or implementing programmes/projects on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies is strongly desirable.
• Experience in producing policy-oriented reports or recommendations is strongly desirable.
Languages
• Knowledge of another language, especially Dutch.
Interested candidates should click on “Apply Now”, then download and complete the Employment History form (Word file). At the end of the Word file, insert extra pages with the following required information:
Upon completing the Word file with all the requested information above, upload the file at the “My Employment History Form / My Documents” section of the online application form. Only applications with the above requested information will be considered.
UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity. UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.
UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Please note that UNESCO is a non-smoking Organization.
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview.
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.
