New York - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the world must confront the "extreme international harm" caused by the spread of hate and lies through digital space.
Guterres added, during the launch of a policy brief on the safety of information on digital platforms, "The alarm bells that ring a warning about the new image of artificial intelligence, which is generative artificial intelligence, are deafening," noting that the loudest warnings are issued by the designers of these technologies, who described artificial intelligence as an existential threat. Humanity is comparable to the gravity of nuclear war.
The Secretary-General stressed the need to deal seriously with these warnings.
Guterres warned that the accelerating development of generative artificial intelligence should not overlook the damage caused by digital technologies, saying, "Spreading hatred and lies through the digital space is causing grave danger now, fueling conflict, death and destruction now, threatening democracy and human rights now, and harming public health and climate efforts now." ".
The Secretary-General of the United Nations drew attention to the benefits and support digital platforms have brought to societies in times of crisis and conflict, raising the voices of the marginalized and supporting the mobilization of global movements for racial justice and equality on the basis of gender.
But, he said, "this technology itself is a source of fear rather than hope."
Technology companies are late
Guterres made it clear that confronting this present and obvious international threat requires coordinated international action to make the digital space more secure and inclusive, and to protect human rights.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations added that some technology companies have done little and have been late in terms of preventing their platforms from contributing to the spread of violence and hatred, while governments have sometimes resorted to arbitrary measures, including the application of blocking and blocking of the Internet, which lack any legal foundations and violate human rights.
Proposals for a Code of Conduct

Guterres said his policy brief outlines the framework for an international response coordinated through a code of conduct to the integrity of information on digital platforms and outlines proposed controls to contain this threat while protecting freedom of expression and information.

The policy brief includes several proposals that can be built upon for the formulation of the Code of Conduct. Among these proposals:

Governments, technology companies and other stakeholders must stop using, endorsing or amplifying misinformation and hate speech for any purpose.
Governments must ensure a free, pluralistic, independent and enforceable media environment, with strong protections for journalists.
Digital platforms should ensure the security and privacy of all their products, as well as apply and use policies and resources equally in all countries and in all languages.
All stakeholders must take actions to ensure that all applications are safe, secure, ethical, responsible, and in compliance with human rights obligations.
Tech companies must abandon business models that prioritize contributions over human rights, privacy, and security.
Users, especially young people, should influence decision-making policies, and digital platforms must adhere to data transparency.
In his answer to journalists' questions after presenting the policy brief, the Secretary-General welcomed the idea of establishing an international entity on the issue of artificial intelligence, saying that this proposal should stem from "the will of the member states" of the United Nations.
The General of the United Nations expressed his hope that the political brief would be a useful contribution to the discussions that precede the Summit on Sustainable Development, which will convene next September, and the Future Summit scheduled for next year.