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Live premiere: Gender Equality in the Age of AI

In the age of generative AI, how can technology become a tool to create more opportunities for women and girls worldwide? What will it take to train more women to use AI to reach their economic potential, and ultimately greater equality? As AI innovation advances at a staggering pace, the widening equality gap threatens to erode progress. There is also a dark side — the alarming number of women who experience online violence.

In our next Global Stage discussion, presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft and the United Nations Foundation, our expert panel will discuss inclusive ways to make our digital lives safer and more productive. On Monday, March 18 at 12 pm ET, watch the live premiere of "Gender Equality in the Age of AI," taking place on the sidelines of UN Women’s 68th Commission on the Status of Women, a gathering of leaders from UN member states and NGOs focused on progress and equality.

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Voters beware: Elections and the looming threat of deepfakes
2024 02 17 Global Stage Clip Brad Smith 03 FINAL

Voters beware: Elections and the looming threat of deepfakes

With AI tools already being used to manipulate voters across the globe via deepfakes, more needs to be done to help people comprehend what this technology is capable of, says Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith.

Smith highlighted a recent example of AI being used to deceive voters in New Hampshire.

“The voters in New Hampshire, before the New Hampshire primary, got phone calls. When they answered the phone, there was the voice of Joe Biden — AI-created — telling people not to vote. He did not authorize that; he did not believe in it. That was a deepfake designed to deceive people,” Smith said during a Global Stage panel on AI and elections on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last month.

“What we fundamentally need to start with is help people understand the state of what technology can do and then start to define what's appropriate, what is inappropriate, and how do we manage that difference?” Smith went on to say.

Watch the full conversation here: How to protect elections in the age of AI

Protect free media in democracies, urges Estonia's former president Kersti Kaljulaid
Protect free media in democracies, urges Estonia's former president Kersti Kaljulaid | Global Stage

Protect free media in democracies, urges Estonia's former president Kersti Kaljulaid

In recent years, numerous reports and studies have emerged warning that democracies around the world are backsliding and autocracy is on the rise. A free media could be the key to reversing this trend, according to former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid.

The former Estonian leader said supporting free media is part of defending democracy. “Democracies indeed are always voluntary. You always have to go and vote and sustain our democracies, and every nation finally has the right to ruin their country as well. We've seen countries… give up on democratic path,” Kaljulaid said during a Global Stage panel on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last month.

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Deepfakes and dissent: How AI makes the opposition more dangerous
Did AI make Navalny more dangerous? | Fiona Hill | Global Stage

Deepfakes and dissent: How AI makes the opposition more dangerous

Former US National Security Council advisor Fiona Hill has plenty of experience dealing with dangerous dictators – but 2024 is even throwing her some curveballs.

After Imran Khan upset the Pakistani establishment in February’s elections by using AI to rally his voters behind bars, she thinks authoritarians must reconsider their strategies around suppressing dissent.

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AI vs. truth: Battling deepfakes amid 2024 elections
AI vs. truth: Battling deepfakes amid 2024 elections | Eva Maydell | Global Stage

AI vs. truth: Battling deepfakes amid 2024 elections

With nearly half of the globe heading to the polls this year amid lightning-speed developments in generative AI, fears are running rampant over tech-driven disinformation campaigns.

During a Global Stage panel at the Munich Security Conference, Bulgarian politician and European Parliament member Eva Maydell said she fears we will soon be unable to separate fact from deepfake fiction.

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2024 is the ‘Voldemort’ of election years, says Ian Bremmer
2024 is the ‘Voldemort’ of election years, says Ian Bremmer | Global Stage

2024 is the ‘Voldemort’ of election years, says Ian Bremmer

Critical elections are occurring across the globe this year, with a record number of people — roughly half the global population — set to head to the polls in dozens of countries.

During a Global Stage panel at the Munich Security Conference, Eurasia Group Founder and President Ian Bremmer described 2024 as the “Voldemort of election years.”

“Voldemort is the name that should not be spoken in the ‘Harry Potter’ series … This is the year that people have been very concerned about but have kind of hoped that they could push off,” says Bremmer. This is not just because there are so many elections occurring amid historic levels of distrust in key institutions, but also because the United States — the most powerful country in the world — is also “one of the most politically dysfunctional,” he explains.

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Naming names: The nonprofit tracking corruption around the world
Naming names: The company tracking corruption around the world | Global Stage

Naming names: The nonprofit tracking corruption around the world

What is the least corrupt country in the world? According to a Berlin-based nonprofit called Transparency International, that would be Denmark. Finland is close behind. At the very bottom of the list is Somalia, dead last out of 180 nations.

Founded in 1993 by a retired World Bank Official, Transparency International operates in more than 100 countries, promoting accountability and exposing public sector corruption.

The team, led by CEO Daniel Eriksson, attended the 2024 Munich Security Conference last week with a warning about the rise of “strategic corruption,” a geopolitical weapon involving bribes and disinformation to attain a political goal in another nation.

“Our definition of corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain,” Eriksson told GZERO’s Tony Maciulis.

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Tech accord on AI & elections will help manage the ‘new reality,’ says Microsoft’s Brad Smith
Tech accord on AI & elections will help manage the ‘new reality' | Brad Smith | Global Stage

Tech accord on AI & elections will help manage the ‘new reality,’ says Microsoft’s Brad Smith

At the Munich Security Conference, leading tech companies unveiled a new accord that committed them to combating AI-generated content that could disrupt elections.

During a Global Stage panel on the sidelines of this year’s conference, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said the accord would not completely solve the problem of deceptive AI content but would help “manage this new reality in a way that will make a difference and really serve all of the elections… between now and the end of the year.”

As Smith explains, the accord is designed to bring the tech industry together to preserve the “authenticity of content,” including via the creation of content credentials. The industry will also work to detect deepfakes and provide candidates with a mechanism to report them, says Smith, while also taking steps to “promote transparency and education.”

The conversation was part of the Global Stage series, produced by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft. These discussions convene heads of state, business leaders, technology experts from around the world for critical debate about the geopolitical and technology trends shaping our world.

Watch the full conversation here: How to protect elections in the age of AI

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