UNO: Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN, said on Monday that concern over advances in artificial intelligence must not overshadow the "grave" harm already being caused by digital platforms that are rife with false information. Guterres also suggested an international code of conduct.
Chatbots, image generators, and voice cloning technology are just a few of the rapidly evolving AI tools that have raised concerns around the world due to their startling capacity to spread false information.
An AI watchdog organisation akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a concept that Guterres said he supports, but he added that "only member states can create it, not the Secretariat of the United Nations."
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While AI alarms are "deafening," he continued, we must not let them "distract us from the damage digital technology is already doing to our world."
As he presented a policy brief on the issue at a news conference, Guterres stated that the spread of hate and lies in the digital space is currently causing serious harm to the world.
"It is currently fostering violence, death, and destruction. Human rights and democracy are currently in danger.
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Prior to the UN's "Summit of the Future" scheduled for next year, Guterres stated that a "United Nations Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms" was being developed.
His policy brief, which will serve as the basis for the code of conduct, makes a number of recommendations, including that advertisers accused of profiting from harmful content shoulder full financial responsibility.
Disinformation and hatred shouldn't garner widespread attention and enormous financial gain, according to Guterres.
Online platforms have sparked social and cultural change on a global scale, but they have also "exposed a darker side," he cautioned.
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He insisted, citing the threat to democratic institutions and human rights, that "the ability to disseminate large-scale disinformation to undermine scientifically established facts poses an existential risk to humanity."
According to him, the foundation of the code of conduct should be a dedication to information accuracy, respect for human rights, and encouragement of independent media. "We must take note of the errors made in the past. Digital platforms were introduced to the world without adequate consideration of the potential harm they could cause to societies and people, according to Guterres.
"We must put an end to the'move fast and break things' era of Silicon Valley."