(United Nations) New artificial intelligence (AI) tools must not “distract” us from the “serious damage” that online disinformation is already causing, an “existential risk” for humanity, said Monday the secretary general of UN, proposing an international “code of conduct”.
Noting the “deafening” warnings issued about new forms of artificial intelligence, including by their creators, Guterres said they should “not distract us from the damage that digital technology is already doing to our world”.
“The proliferation of hate and lies online is causing serious damage globally now,” he told a news conference.
“It fuels conflict, death and destruction now. This threatens democracy and human rights now,” he insisted, presenting a policy brief on the subject.
He thus proposed to develop a “United Nations code of conduct for the integrity of information on digital platforms”, which would serve as a “reference” in this area.
Because today, even if social networks and other online tools have brought many benefits, “these same platforms have also brought to light a darker side of the digital ecosystem”, he specified in this rating.
“The ability to disseminate disinformation on a large scale to undermine scientifically established facts poses an existential risk to humanity”, he insisted, referring to the risks of violence, false information conveyed during the COVID pandemic. -19 or the propagation of theses denying the responsibility of humanity in climate change.
“These risks have further intensified due to the rapid advancement of technology, such as generative artificial intelligence”, which notably makes it possible to create increasingly realistic “deepfakes”, fake photos and videos.
In this context, the Code of Conduct he is proposing should be based, in his view, on a dozen principles, including a commitment to respect the integrity of information, respect for human rights, support for independent media, greater great transparency of the networks (in particular on their algorithms “known to amplify” false information), an acceleration of measures to counter this disinformation on the part of States and all actors, while respecting freedom of expression and the right to information.
The secretary-general will now organize consultations with governments, platforms, scientists and civil society, to be able to publish this code by the Future Summit in 2024, he said.
“We must learn from the mistakes of the past,” insists the secretary general in his note.
“Digital platforms were launched into a world that was not sufficiently aware of the potential damages (that they represented) for societies and individuals, and which had not sufficiently assessed them”.
“We have the opportunity today to ensure that history does not repeat itself with emerging technologies”, underlined Antonio Guterres. “The era of Silicon Valley’s ‘move fast and break things’ philosophy must come to an end.”
He thus said he was “favorable” to the creation of an agency specializing in artificial intelligence, “inspired by the International Atomic Energy Agency” (IAEA), noting that only the Member States could decide on it.