Guterres urges fight against tyranny of algorithm-driven disinformation
Says no one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged a global fight against the tyranny of algorithm-driven online media supercharged by artificial intelligence (AI) that promotes disinformation and puts "lives at stake". "You are the majority, and this is a fight we can win -- together," he said on Monday. "Demand accountability; demand choice; demand control." Releasing the UN's Global Principles for Information Integrity, he said, "No one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests, and which tracks their behaviour to collect personal data and keep them hooked."
"Opaque algorithms push people into information bubbles and reinforce prejudices including racism, misogyny, and discrimination of all kinds," he said.
He warned that threats to information integrity are not new, "they are proliferating and expanding with unprecedented speed on digital platforms, supercharged by AI technologies" becoming vehicles for spreading hate."When information integrity is targeted, so is democracy -- which depends on a shared, fact-based perception of reality," he said.
He appealed to the media to "raise and enforce editorial standards" against the onslaught of disinformation and manipulation.