In a dangerous world, standards matter more than ever
International standards define what great looks like – setting consistent benchmarks for businesses, consumers and nations, says Michael Mainelli
A world ordered for decades by globalization and geoeconomics has quickly become a world grounded in geopolitical risk.
The Israel-Hamas conflict grinds on, tensions between Iran and Israel remain high, the Russo-Ukrainian war continues, and cyberattacks have become more frequent and more severe than ever.
Speaking at the annual Easter Banquet for Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the UK at Mansion House last week, the Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron stressed that the world we live in is “more dangerous, more volatile, more confrontational, than most of us have ever known”.
“Both in Britain and the wider world, there are too many who adopt a kind of defensive crouch,” he said, arguing that the UK must prioritise security, be bolder, harder-edged, realistic and ruthlessly practical, and demonstrate political will and strategic patience.
Lord Cameron made the point that “we cannot divorce foreign policy from economic performance.” Echoing this – I used my speech to set out how international standards in areas like AI can provide stability and security against this challenging geopolitical backdrop.
Cities thrive when they are open to trade and commerce. And trade and commerce are made possible by standards that smooth the way.
In an unstable world, international standards define what great looks like – setting consistent benchmarks for businesses, consumers and nations that ensure reliability, build trust, simplify choices and make trade between countries simpler and fairer.
By distilling the wisdom of experts from around the world, standards represent the very best of human knowledge and guide economies in adopting sustainable and ethical practices that improve our world.
Professor Anu Bradford coined the term “The Brussels Effect” – that the EU shapes global policies on privacy, the environment and more not as a superpower, but as the international standard setter.
My mayoral theme, “Connect To Prosper”, is about reigniting the coffee house culture on which London was built and leveraging the power of the City’s many connections – including our connections with our international partners – to take on the big challenges facing the world.
All six of our key “Connect To Prosper” initiatives promote international standards.
The 695th Lord Mayor’s Ethical AI Initiative offers ethics courses for professionals working in AI. We’ve had had more than 5,000 participants, from 500 organisations, across 50 countries so far and, tomorrow, we’ll bring 30 countries together in Brussels to conclude the “Walbrook AI Accord” promoting ISO 42001.
Meanwhile, our Space Protection Initiative is a combined technology and financial services programme to use space debris removal insurance bonds to keep space “clutter free”, meeting international space sustainability standards.
Our other initiatives are: the Smart Economy Networks Initiative, Constructing Science: Offices to Labs Initiative, GALENOS for mental health research, and our Green Finance Initiative.
My travels as Lord Mayor – most recently to Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – have reinforced the fact that our nations share many of the same ambitions: from realising thepotential of new technology, to combatting climate change.
In a world of misinformation and disinformation, we are seeing what happens when standards start to slip.
By working with partners from across the world, Canada has a role to play in maintaining and creating international standards that offer stability and security and put us a step closer to achieving our shared goals.
Michael Mainelli is Lord Mayor of Canada