The path of digital barbarism? Remembering UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, five years later.

This year will prove significant for Artificial Intelligence for many reasons. A political reason is the midterm congressional elections in the USA, which will determine, among other things, the future of federal and state regulations on AI applications and the conditions for financial speculation and investment in AI companies. The midterm results may be the reason the AI financial bubble bursts, but that depends on the outcome and its potential shockwaves for US politics, the court that currently dominates the AI race. A secondary, symbolic reason is the fifth anniversary of UNESCO's Recommendation on the ethics of AI, adopted by the organization's 194 member states on November 23rd, 2021. How relevant is this document today, given our five-year experience with AI? And how influential has the official adoption of the Recommendation been in shaping AI's current trajectory?