The European Union (EU) and 14 countries formed a global forum tasked with overseeing responsible developments and innovations in AI.

In a joint statement, members of the Global Partnership on AI said it aimed to “bridge the gap” between theory and practice, and foster “responsible and human-centric” development of the technology, rooted in human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic values.

Alongside the EU, Australia; Canada; France; Germany; India; Italy; Japan; Mexico; New Zealand; South Korea; Singapore; Slovenia; the UK; and the US are founders.

In partnership with international organisations and partners, the group will bring together leading experts from industry, government, civil society and academia to explore responsibility; data governance; future of work; innovation; and commercialisation.

There will also be a near-term focus on employing AI to “respond to and recover from” Covid-19 (coronavirus).