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How the UN is combating disinformation in the age of AI
Disinformation is running rampant in today’s world. The internet, social media, and AI — combined with declining trust in major institutions — have created an ecosystem ripe for exploitation by nefarious actors aiming to spread false and hateful narratives. Meanwhile, governments worldwide are struggling to get big tech companies to take substantive steps to combat disinformation. And at the global level, the UN’s priorities are also being hit hard by these trends.
“We can't bring about and generate stability in fragile environments if populations are turning against our peacekeepers as a result of lies being spread against them online. We can't make progress on climate change if people are being led to believe first of all, that maybe it doesn't even exist, or that it's not as bad as they thought, or that it's actually too late and there's nothing that they can do about it,” Melissa Fleming, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, told GZERO in a conversation at the SDG Media Zone during the 79th UN General Assembly.
“The UN alone cannot tackle these problems without civil society, without people. And the people are what drives political agendas. So it's really important for us to work on our information ecosystems together,” Fleming added.
Though Fleming said that many in the UN are excited by AI's myriad potential benefits, she also emphasized the serious problems it’s already posing in terms of accelerating the spread of disinformation—particularly via deepfakes.
“We've spent a lot of time also trying to educate the public on how to spot misinformation and disinformation and how to tell if a photo is real or if it is fake. In the AI information age, that's going to become nearly impossible,” Fleming said.
“So we're calling on AI actors to really create safety by design, and don't leave it only to the users to be able to try to figure out how to navigate this. They are designing these instruments, and they can be part of the solution,” she added.
UN Security Council: Liberia’s top diplomat joins calls for Africa’s representation
Will Africa's push for permanent representation on the UN Security Council succeed? Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti echoed the region’s calls for reform, challenging the council’s control by wealthy nations.
The UN Security Council was originally set up post-WWII when many African nations were still under colonial rule, but today they feel sidelined in global governance.
“Many African countries have had different experiences that have led many of us to believe that the current configuration for global governance on peace and security is no longer fit for purpose. The needs of countries during conflict, post-conflict for reconstruction, are not being met in line with the expectations,” Nyanti told GZERO at the SDG Media Zone during the 79th UN General Assembly in New York City. Nyanti echoed recent calls for African countries to be granted permanent seats on the Security Council. “It needs to happen,” she said, emphasizing that Africa is the source of “most of the resources of the world” and “critical to global governance.”
Why Giles Duley advocates for the forgotten victims of war
In 2011, documentary photographer Giles Duley had what he describes as his “worst day at the office,” a day when he was critically injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs and his left arm, ended up in the hospital for a year, and was operated on 37 times. Duley was told he would never walk again, but 18 months after nearly being killed, he returned to Afghanistan and was back on the job.
“I realized that if I went back to do the work that I did, I would be better at it. I would have that relationship with the people that I documented that nobody else would,” Duley told GZERO this week in a conversation at the SDG Media Zone during the 79th UN General Assembly.
Duley is now the UN’s first global advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations. He’s dedicated his life to documenting and spreading awareness on the long-term impact of war. Through his organization, Legacy of War Foundation, Duley also works to provide vital assistance to civilians affected by conflict.
With civilian casualties from landmines and explosive ordnance on the rise, particularly in places like Ukraine and Myanmar, Duley’s work could not be more pertinent. He’s calling for greater efforts to clear munitions used in present-day conflicts. If more isn’t done in this regard, Duley warns that “children not yet born will die from these wars.”