DW Weekly #173 โ€“ 16 August 2024

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Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

After three years of negotiations, the UN member states at the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) adopted the draft of the first globally binding legal instrument on cybercrime. The embattled process went through ten rounds of negotiations, complete with a reconvened concluding session, as the states just could not come to an agreement at the original concluding session.

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The adoption of the Convention. Image credit: Council of Europe.

The convention was adopted despite multiple obstacles. 

There was significant opposition from human rights groups, civil society, and technology companies, who have raised concerns about the potential risks of increased surveillance. In July, Diplo hosted experts from various stakeholder groups to discuss their expectations before the final round of UN negotiations and to review the draft treaty. Experts noted an unprecedented alignment between industry and civil society on concerns about the draft, emphasising the urgent need for a treaty focused on core cybercrime offences and strengthened by robust safeguards and clear intent requirements.

Human rights protections and safeguards were among the most contested areas in the draft treaty throughout the negotiation process. We provided a detailed analysis of these disagreements earlier. During the final session, some states advocated for the inclusion of specific human rights in the treaty, while others preferred a more general reference without an exhaustive listing. Overall, states were divided: One group repeatedly emphasised that this was not a human rights treaty and argued that human rights should not become an obstacle to effective cross-border cooperation in combating cybercrime, while others reiterated that the lack of explicit references to human rights is itself a barrier to such cooperation.

The debates surrounding the very title of the convention highlighted ongoing challenges among states in agreeing on the scope and terminology for this legal instrument. During the final session, the majority of delegations advocated for a succinct title, suggesting โ€˜United Nations Convention Against Cybercrimeโ€™ for clarity.  However, the use of the term cybercrime has not been agreed upon by all states. Russia, in particular, criticised the use of cyber terminology, arguing that it does not align with the mandate. Instead, it supported the use of ICTs, which had been agreed upon by states and included in the use of terms (Article 2). In the end, both terms were used: The convention was named โ€˜United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Crimes Committed through the Use of an Information and Communications Technology System)โ€™. 

These are not the only areas of disagreement. We will provide a more detailed analysis from the final session on dig.watch come Monday (19 August).

The convention establishes โ€˜a global criminal justice policyโ€™ to protect society against cybercrime by โ€˜fostering international cooperationโ€™ and will now be presented to the UN General Assembly for formal adoption later this year. It will take effect once ratified by at least 40 member countries.

You can read the full text of the convention or explore the convention with Diploโ€™s AI assistant on our dedicated AHC page.

And if youโ€™re curious about how this convention compares to the Budapest Convention, thereโ€™s a comparative analysis in the pipeline.

Andrijana, Anastasiya, and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 9-16 August 2024

flag of usa and china on cracked concrete wall background

Baidu tops AI patent applications, showcasing China’s growing strength in the field.

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AI systems become more controllable, easing fears about their potential risks, says Kwon.

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Australian government aims to boost public trust in technology adoption.

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These cases underscore increasing legal and regulatory pressure on Google’s business model and practices, with potential broad repercussions for the tech industry.

the flags of the united kingdom and france fly side by side

The UK and France will begin a consultation as part of the Pall Mall Process to address the misuse of commercial cyber intrusion tools, involving input from states, industry, and civil society experts.

the white house

The White House and DHS have launched an $11 million initiative to enhance the security of open-source software in critical infrastructure, emphasizing collaboration between the government, private sector, and cybersecurity community.

ransomware concept computer keyboard with red ransomware hacked virus hijacked cyber attack

Authorities have dismantled the servers and domains in Germany, the US, and Britain.

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July’s massive tech outage caused significant disruptions and $15 billion in damages, but the majority of these costs were uninsured, leaving cyber insurers largely unaffected.

turkey flag is depicted on the screen with the program code

The social media platform was initially blocked on 2 August for failing to adhere to Turkish regulations and public sensitivities, including accusations of blocking condolence posts for Hamas leader Ismailย Haniyeh.



Reading corner

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Republican Party candidate and former US President Donald J Trump is the first high-visibility political figure in the USA who has agreed to address the bitcoin crowd. What did he promise to the crowd in Nashville?


Andrijana20picture
Andrijana Gavrilovic โ€“ Author
Editor โ€“ Digital Watch; Head of Diplomatic & Policy Reporting, DiploFoundation
nPHsW2zD ginger
Virginia Paque โ€“ Editor
Senior Editor Digital Policy, DiploFoundation

DW Weekly #172 โ€“ 9 August 2024

 Page, Text

Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

Remember that ScarJo vs OpenAI kerfuffle over her voice being used for ChatGPT? Hereโ€™s a quick summary: OpenAI used a voice eerily similar to actress Scarlett Johansonโ€™s voice, seemingly inspired by her performance as an AI assistant in the movie Her. The catch is that OpenAI did it without her consent. The company has since removed the voice from ChatGPT. Most recently, Johannson said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman would make a good Marvel villain.

This week, The New York Times reported that Meta is negotiating with actors such as Judi Dench, Awkwafina, comedian Keegan-Michael Key, and other celebrities and influencers to use their voices for its MetaAI digital assistant. Reportedly, Meta could pay millions in fees to secure their voices.

Our voices are one of the very few things that are uniquely ours, and as such, are considered biometric data. We are certainly more accustomed to other data being used for biometric identification โ€“ chief among them our fingerprints and faces to unlock our sleeping devices. Voice identification is plagued with problems that make it less accurate than other kinds of biometric identification. For instance, if we contract a cold, it can be enough for the software not to recognise the voice. Still, voice identification is a viable identification method.

The Little Mermaid gave up her voice in a deal with the evil sea witch โ€“ she did it for love. Celebrities might sell their voice for money. Readers, would you do it? Would you feel comfortable with your voice saying thoughts that are not yours?

A corporation is depicted as an evil, black sea witch offering a contract to a mermaid who is holding bubbles containing a heart and musical notes.

The UN Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) adopted a draft convention on cybercrime after extensive negotiations โ€“ keep an eye out for a short update on the outcomes next week and a more extensive analysis in the next few weeks.

If youโ€™re an AI professional or enthusiast watching the Paris Olympics or an Olympian reading this digest, scroll down to our reading corner or click here to read our take on the transformative impact of AI on the Olympics.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 2-9 August 2024

google mobile application smart phone screen

Google controls about 90% of the online search market and 95% of smartphones.

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Apple’s lucrative $20 billion annual deal with Google, which sets Google’s search engine as the default on Apple devices, could be under threat after a US judge ruled that Google…

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The global computer outage caused by CrowdStrike’s software update led to lawsuits from air travellers.

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The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, can now play video games and browse the internet using the implant.

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Project Strawberry includes a ‘deep-research’ dataset, expected to revolutionise AI research capabilities.

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The growing number of approved algorithms highlights an efficient approval process and China’s striving for leadership in AI regulation.

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The revived suit alleges that Altman has altered the narrative to capitalise on the company’s technological advancements, moving away from the altruistic mission it was founded upon.

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They argue that TikTok poses a national security threat due to its ties to China, which could exploit user data.

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The programme allowed users to earn points for activities such as watching videos and liking content.

national flag of the philippines

New digital bank licenses in the Philippines will require innovative business models and a focus on reaching underserved markets.



ICYMI

Discover how John Calvin’s 16th-century ideas on individualism and societal responsibility journeyed from Geneva to Silicon Valley and shaped today’s tech-driven world!

What exactly is a deepfake and how do you spot one? Find out in the 7th part of our AI shorts series.


Survey

Olimpic AI Agenda

Discover how AI is transforming every facet of the Olympics, from organisation, logistics, data collection, and event broadcasting, to the sustainability of the games. Join us for an in-depth exploration of the Olympic AI agenda.

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Content governance and disinformation came into the sharp public focus as hate speech spilt over from social media platforms to the streets of UK cities.ย Marilia Maciel provides just-in-time reflections on what can be done to improve online content governance and reviews key findings from Diploโ€™s research on online disinformation and content management. Read the blog and register for debates in September.


Andrijana20picture
Andrijana Gavrilovic โ€“ Author
Editor โ€“ Digital Watch; Head of Diplomatic u0026amp; Policy Reporting, DiploFoundation
nPHsW2zD ginger
Virginia Paque โ€“ Editor
Senior Editor Digital Policy, DiploFoundation

DW Weekly #171 โ€“ 2 August 2024

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Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

The co-conveners of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Initiative (JI) on Electronic commerce โ€“ Australia, Japan and Singapore โ€“ have published a stabilised text of an Agreement on Electronic Commerce, a significant milestone after almost seven years of discussions and negotiations.

Either you know exactly what weโ€™re writing about, or it is all gobbledygook to you. Letโ€™s break it down.

Whatโ€™s a WTO JI? WTO Joint Initiatives (JIs) are a way for a group of World Trade Organization members to move forward on specific issues without waiting for the entire organisation to reach a consensus. They are open to any WTO Member. 

What does the WTO JI on Electronic commerce negotiate? This JI tackles a mix of traditional trade issues and modern digital policy challenges. Discussions cover trade facilitation, cross-border data flows, data localisation, access to source code, and net neutrality.

Why is the WTO JI particularly important? So far, e-commerce and digital trade regulations have been handled mainly through preferential trade agreements (PTAs) between countries. However, there isnโ€™t a specific WTO agreement on e-commerce. Creating one would help standardise e-commerce rules globally, making it easier for everyone to do business in the digital age.

Whatโ€™s in the Agreement on Electronic Commerce? The text contains provisions to:

  1. Promote easy digital trade within and between countries, including electronic signatures and invoices.
  2. Make international digital trade more reliable and affordable by working together on cybersecurity risks.
  3. Permanently ban customs duties on digital content among participating countries.
  4. Protect online consumers from misleading and fraudulent activities.
  5. Protect the personal data of workers and consumers
  6. Help consumers and companies from developing countries participate in digital trade.
  7. Digitalise the various trading systems to make global trade cheaper, faster, and more secure for businesses.
  8. Encourage competition in the telecommunications sector by ensuring independent regulators, better access to infrastructure, and market-based frequency band assignments.

Whatโ€™s missing in the text? Negotiations on crucial digital issues like data flows and source code hit a roadblock when the USA pulled its support to maintain domestic policy flexibility. While data flows are essential for the digital economy, global rules on this matter are unlikely to be agreed upon anytime soon. The co-conveners simply state that โ€˜participants recognise that some issues of importance to digital trade have not been addressed in this text. Participants will discuss the inclusion of these issues in future negotiations.โ€™

Whoโ€™s missing from the deal? The latest draft text, published by the co-conveners, represents 82 out of 91 JI members. However,  Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Paraguay, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Tรผrkiye, and the USA are still reviewing the text domestically.

Under the title 'Agreement on Electronic Commerce, delegates discuss around a table with a computer and papers. Chat bubbles contain icons of agreement, shopping carts, a graph, a fingerprint a piggy bank, and an umbrella.

What are the next steps? To become the basis for global rules on digital trade among WTO members, the text must be integrated into the WTO legal framework. However, the JI on e-commerce runs into a snag here.

The JIs themselves run into opposition from a number of WTO members who hold that JSIs do not have any legal status because they were not launched based on consensus. Similarly, these countries claim that the outcomes of JIs are not based on consensus and are neither multilateral agreements nor plurilateral agreements as defined in Article IV of the agreement that established the WTO โ€“ the Marrakesh Agreement.

If the agreement crosses the finishing line, our colleague Marilia Maciel writes that five changes in the global landscape are important to consider in its implementation. These are rising digital inequality, a shift eastwards in digital trade rule-making, the growing importance of Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs), the uncertain consequences of the re-wiring of Global Value Chains, and the systemic nature of challenges to multilateralism.

In other news, researchers uncovered the largest ever ransomware payment of a whopping USD 75m, the EU AI Act officially comes into force on 1 August, and the concluding session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime has reached its halfway point today.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 26 July-2 August 2024

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Researchers also note that the USA remains the top target for ransomware, followed by the UK and Germany.

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Filed in 2022 under Texas’ 2009 biometric privacy law, the lawsuit accused Meta of capturing biometric data through the โ€˜Tag Suggestionsโ€™ feature, which has since been discontinued.

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The scrutiny is part of a global regulatory effort, highlighted by a joint statement from the CMA, US, and the EU regulators to safeguard fair competition in the AI industry.

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Historical tech partnerships often evolve into competitive relationships.

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Supporters, including some tech executives and advocacy groups, see the legislation as crucial for protecting children online.

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Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade from Malta, Ian Borg, advocated for increased cyber resilience among OSCE member countries through enhanced cooperation.

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Stakeholders, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, stress the need for more transparency and robust protections in the treaty.

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Despite the breach, the ICO found no evidence of data misuse. In response, the Electoral Commission has since upgraded its security infrastructure.

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The hackers also infiltrated NASAโ€™s systems, extracting over 17 gigabytes of data.

Biden signs 2023 Executive order on AI CNBC

Key industry figures highlight her stable leadership and alignment with Silicon Valley values.



Reading corner

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The WTO Joint Initiative stabilised ‘Agreement on Electronic Commerce’ must contend with five changes that took place in the global landscape that are important to consider in its implementation.

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In his second chat with AI, Petru Dimitiriu delves into a conversation revealing AI assistants’ strengths and weaknesses.


Survey

๐Ÿ“ข We want your feedback!

Are you following the UN OEWG on cybersecurity discussions? We want to hear from you! 

Help us improve our reporting by participating in our short survey. Your insights are invaluable and will directly contribute to making our coverage even better. 

Thank you for your time and support!


Andrijana20picture
Andrijana Gavrilovic โ€“ Author
Editor โ€“ Digital Watch; Head of Diplomatic & Policy Reporting, DiploFoundation
nPHsW2zD ginger
Virginia Paque โ€“ Editor
Senior Editor Digital Policy, DiploFoundation

DW Weekly #170 โ€“ 26 July 2024

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Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

It should have been a routine update. Alas, an update Crowdstrike issued to its Falcon Sensor kernel-level driver that protects Windows computers caused a major tech outage last Friday, disrupting operations across different industries worldwide, including air travel, healthcare, financial services, and media. 

Caricature drawing of three human figures studying CrowdStrike computer screens and a black world analysis map. Pin markers and lines connect a global network with interspersed Microsoft blue screens of death.

The problem began when CrowdStrike released a content configuration update for the Windows sensor to collect telemetry on potential new threat techniques. These updates are a regular aspect of the Falcon platform’s dynamic protection system, sometimes occurring daily. However, this particular update contained a logic error that resulted in a system crash, causing the notorious blue screen of death (BSOD) on 85 million Windows devices.

The issue was traced back to a bug in CrowdStrike’s Content Validator, which allowed the problematic update to pass validation despite containing problematic content data. 

The silver lining? The outage, while severe, did not lead to exploitation by malicious actors on a larger scale. However, CrowdStrike intelligence reported observing threat actors leveraging the situation in Latin America, underlining the vulnerability of digital systems to exploitation.

Financially, the impact of this incident is staggering. According to cyber insurer Parametrix, the faulty update could result in losses of up to $54 billion for companies like Microsoft, major airlines, banks, and healthcare providers. In a bizarre twist, CrowdStrike tried to make amends by sending $10 Uber Eats gift cards to affected partners. However, many recipients got error messages saying the vouchers were cancelled, with Uber flagging the high redemption rate as fraud.

Screenshot of a CrowdStrike memo thanking clients with the offer of a USD 10 UberEats credit.

What did we learn from this case? Numerous organisations are overreliant on single-point IT solutions. Should tech companies bear responsibility for cyber risks associated with their products and services? 

Defining supplier responsibility (and liability) for the security and stability of digital products through legal instruments is essential for ensuring accountability and safety. This would incentivise companies to invest more in robust security measures, thorough testing protocols, and fail-safe mechanisms. Moreover, it would foster a culture of responsibility within the tech industry, where the potential real-world impacts of digital failures, their solutions, and their broader implications for society are given the serious consideration they deserve. 

As these debates heat up, the scrutiny of cybersecurity practices is intensifying:  CrowdStrikeโ€™s CEO has been summoned by a US congressional committee to explain the mess, underscoring the growing legislative interest in the issue. 

In other news, France is bracing for cyberattacks as the Olympics kick off. The USA, the EU, and the UK authorities pledged to protect competition in generative AI foundation models and AI products. Meanwhile, Sam Altman is advocating for a USA-led global coalition on AI to ensure a democratic vision for AI prevails over an authoritarian one.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 19-26 July 2024

eu ai act

Details on how the working group will function will be finalised after the summer.

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The statement recognises the profound potential of AI and foundation models, pinpointing several competition risks: concentrated control of key AI resources, market power entrenchment by incumbent digital giants, and potentially anti-competitive collaborations among major AI players.

Sam Altman WEF

Altman also advocates for international collaboration and possibly establishing governance bodies to ensure AI benefits are widely shared and risks minimised.

nvidia chip

Despite initial weak sales, Nvidia is now on track to sell over 1 million H20 chips in China this year, generating more than $12 billion.

search bar google chatgpt competitors

SearchGPT offers summarised results with source links and follow-up queries.

WTO building

The Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce, co-convened by Australia, Japan, and Singapore, announced a milestone on 26 July 2024, with participants reaching a stabilised text for the Agreement on Electronic Commerce after five years of negotiations. The negotiations will continue.

singapore

Expected to lower business costs and boost services trade, it underscores Singaporeโ€™s significant role as the EU’s fifth-largest services trade partner, with over half of the โ‚ฌ43 billion services traded in 2022 delivered digitally.

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The probe will examine whether Apple imposed unequal commercial conditions on developers of mobile applications sold through its App Store.

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The potential fine for Meta could reach $13.4 billion, or 10% of 2023 global revenue.

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The fine, one of the largest by an African regulator on a global tech company, follows a 38-month investigation revealing Meta’s non-compliance with Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

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The breach is suspected to stem from an earlier hack of a system by third-party vendor Diligent Corp.

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The country is committed to minimising their impact, says Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

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Battling progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a condition that limits her ability to speak and move, Wexton announced in September that she will not seek re-election due to her worsening health.



ICYMI

Cyber tools for disaster management july 2024 1920x1080px intro slide

This webinar explored how advanced technology can improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in Africa, highlighting innovative cyber tools and solutions that enhance crisis management and resilience.

DW Weekly #169 โ€“ 19 July 2024

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Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

The 8th substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on security of and in the use of information and ICTs 2021โ€“2025 ended last Friday. The group gathered to adopt its annual progress report (APR), which takes stock of the groupโ€™s discussions over the previous year but also charts the way forward for the group’s discussions for the following year.

The OEWG is a process encompassing all interested UN members, and it adopts its decisions by consensus, so adopting APRs is always a momentous effort. This time, 80 UN member states participated, with their views on what the APR should or should not contain. The chair opened the session by pleading for members to maintain a dynamic of mutually agreed additions to the text of the APR, not mutually decided deletions leading to the document being empty.

Things were tense through the penultimate meeting (the OEWG sessions are typically made of ten meetings), while Iran held that they could not accept the document. The crux of Iranโ€™s unwillingness was paragraph 27, which Iran feels does not accurately reflect the international legal order because the text says that states have obligations stemming from voluntary norms. However, at the very last meeting, Iran distanced itself from paragraph 27, and the APR was adopted.

Drawing shows standing observers studying a bar chart on the wall. The chart shows the relationship of threats, norms, international law, confidence-building measures, capacity building and regular institutional dialogue from 2019 through 2024 with a red bar. A UN logo is shown on the wall to the left of the chart.

What is not solved in the OEWG will undoubtedly make its way into the agenda of the next mechanism, but not everything should be deferred, or the delegations will be in for quite a headache in 2026. Town halls and intersessional meetings can be held to discuss international law and to agree on the elements of regular institutional dialogue, and we know Chair Burhan Gafoor is good at that โ€“ last year, the pace of meetings was near-breakneck speed.

A summary of the discussions is available on Digital Watch. AI reports and transcripts from the 8th substantive session are available on our dedicated web page โ€“ a more in-depth human-generated analysis is planned for next week.

UNFOLDING NOW
A major tech outage today (19 July) is disrupting operations across different industries worldwide, including air travel, healthcare, financial services, and media. The outage’s root cause was traced to a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, whose CEO stated, ‘The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.โ€™ Weโ€™ll follow the story as it develops.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 12-19 July 2024

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Key sectors including media, healthcare, and financial services also experienced significant impacts.

OpenAi and Microsoft

As OpenAI’s Strawberry advances the reasoning capabilities of models the company must face off with its employees who consider such models a threat to humanity.

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Nvidia could face charges if the investigation yields sufficient evidence, hinting at the gravity of the situation.

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The incident has led to a surge in wild claims and disinformation online

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The FBI was assisted by the Israeli firm Cellebrite.

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Kaspersky will continue operations outside the US, focusing on other strategic markets.

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TikTokโ€™s owner, ByteDance, must comply with EU gatekeeper regulations CJEU rules.

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US senators press AT&T, Snowflake on data breach, fearing sensitive customer data auctioned or compromised, demand accountability.

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Nokia and Telecom Egypt have partnered to introduce 5G technology to Egypt, enhancing connectivity in major cities with Nokia’s AirScale portfolio. This collaboration aims to revolutionise Egyptโ€™s digital landscape and support innovation.

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The EU’s new regulation requires Digital Product Passports for most products by 2030.

kenza layali

Kenza Layli, an AI-generated Moroccan influencer, has been crowned the first Miss AI. Created by Myriam Bessa, Layli promotes diversity and inclusivity in the AI creator landscape, outshining 1,500 entries worldwide.



ICYMI

Do we need a new international treaty to protect critical infrastructure (CI)? Which challenges would this help to address, and why? What could be the scope of this treaty? We asked our guests, Aude Gรฉry, Senior Researcher in Public International Law and Digital Security, Geopolitics of the Datasphere (GEODE), and Marc Henauer, Senior Politics and International Affairs Officer, Swiss National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).


Upcoming

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This webinar will focus on leveraging technology to enhance preparedness, response, and recovery efforts in the face of natural or man-made disasters on the African continent. This webinar aims to explore the use of cutting-edge cyber tools and technologies to improve disaster management in Africa. It will delve into innovative solutions that enable quicker, more coordinated responses to crises, ultimately enhancing overall resilience in the region.

Numรฉro 91 de la lettre d’information Digital Watch โ€“ juillet 2024

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Coup dโ€™ล“il

Coup dโ€™ล“il : les dรฉveloppements qui font des vagues

Gouvernance de lโ€™IA

Sous lโ€™รฉgide de la Chine, lโ€™Assemblรฉe gรฉnรฉrale des Nations unies a adoptรฉ une rรฉsolution non contraignante sur le renforcement des capacitรฉs dโ€™IA afin dโ€™amรฉliorer celles des pays en dรฉveloppement grรขce ร  la coopรฉration internationale. Elle appelle รฉgalement au soutien des organisations internationales et des institutions financiรจres. Les ministres africains des TIC et des Communications ont approuvรฉ la Continental AI Strategy et le pacte numรฉrique africain afin de stimuler la transformation numรฉrique du continent. Le communiquรฉ des dirigeants du G7 a mis lโ€™accent sur une stratรฉgie coordonnรฉe pour gรฉrer les opportunitรฉs et les dรฉfis de lโ€™IA, en introduisant un plan dโ€™action pour lโ€™adoption de lโ€™IA sur le lieu de travail et en soulignant des initiatives telles que lโ€™avancement du code de conduite international du processus dโ€™Hiroshima, le soutien aux PME, et la promotion de lโ€™inclusion numรฉrique et de lโ€™รฉducation et de la formation tout au long de la vie.

Le Fonds monรฉtaire international a recommandรฉ des politiques fiscales aux gouvernements confrontรฉs ร  lโ€™impact รฉconomique de lโ€™IA, notamment des taxes sur les bรฉnรฉfices excรฉdentaires et une taxe sur le carbone.

La Chine est en tรชte du classement mondial des demandes de brevets dโ€™IA gรฉnรฉrative, dรฉpassant largement les ร‰tats-Unis. Dans le mรชme temps, les entreprises technologiques amรฉricaines dominent la production de systรจmes dโ€™IA de pointe, selon lโ€™Organisation mondiale de la propriรฉtรฉ intellectuelle (OMPI). Un rapport de la Commission europรฉenne montre que lโ€™UE est ร  la traรฎne par rapport ร  ses objectifs 2030 en matiรจre dโ€™IA, avec seulement 11 % des entreprises utilisant des technologies dโ€™IA dรฉsignรฉes, loin de lโ€™objectif de 75 %. Le ministรจre japonais de la Dรฉfense a introduit sa premiรจre politique en matiรจre dโ€™IA afin dโ€™amรฉliorer les opรฉrations de dรฉfense. Le Brรฉsil sโ€™associe ร  OpenAI pour moderniser les processus juridiques, rรฉduire les frais de justice et amรฉliorer lโ€™efficacitรฉ du bureau du procureur gรฉnรฉral.

Technologies 

Les ร‰tats-Unis ont prรฉsentรฉ un projet de rรจgles visant ร  rรฉglementer les investissements en Chine, en se concentrant sur les secteurs de lโ€™IA et des technologies de pointe susceptibles de poser des menaces ร  la sรฉcuritรฉ nationale. Les ร‰tats-Unis prรฉvoient dโ€™รฉtendre les sanctions sur les puces semi-conductrices et dโ€™autres biens vendus ร  la Russie, en ciblant les vendeurs tiers chinois. Des discussions sont en cours avec les Pays-Bas et le Japon pour restreindre 11 usines chinoises de fabrication de puces et รฉtendre les contrรดles ร  lโ€™exportation dโ€™รฉquipements. Les ร‰tats-Unis sont confrontรฉs ร  une pรฉnurie de 90 000 techniciens en semi-conducteurs dโ€™ici ร  2030, ce qui a incitรฉ lโ€™Administration Biden ร  lancer un programme de dรฉveloppement de la main-dโ€™ล“uvre.

La Commission europรฉenne prend connaissance des points de vue de lโ€™industrie sur lโ€™augmentation de la production chinoise de puces informatiques dโ€™ancienne gรฉnรฉration.

La Chine va รฉlaborer des normes pour les interfaces neuronales directes (BCI) par lโ€™intermรฉdiaire dโ€™un nouveau comitรฉ technique, en se concentrant sur le codage des donnรฉes, la communication, la visualisation, la collecte de donnรฉes dโ€™รฉlectroencรฉphalogramme et les applications dans divers domaines.

Infrastructure

Des entreprises de tรฉlรฉcommunications du Kazakhstan et de lโ€™Azerbaรฏdjan vont investir plus de 50 millions dโ€™USD dans la pose de 370 kilomรจtres de cรขbles ร  fibres optiques sous la mer Caspienne. Dans le mรชme temps, le nouveau responsable de lโ€™รฉconomie numรฉrique du Sรฉnรฉgal a annoncรฉ son intention de renforcer lโ€™infrastructure numรฉrique, de coordonner les programmes gouvernementaux, dโ€™encourager les collaborations et de sโ€™appuyer sur les rรฉalisations antรฉrieures pour accroรฎtre la contribution de lโ€™รฉconomie numรฉrique au PIB.

Cybersรฉcuritรฉ

Le Conseil de sรฉcuritรฉ des Nations unies a tenu un dรฉbat ouvert sur la cybersรฉcuritรฉ, axรฉ sur lโ€™รฉvolution des cybermenaces et la nรฉcessitรฉ de rรฉaliser des avancรฉes numรฉriques positives.

La rรฉcente cyberattaque contre la sociรฉtรฉ de stockage en nuage Snowflake sโ€™annonce comme lโ€™une des plus importantes violations de donnรฉes jamais survenues, touchant des centaines de leurs entreprises clientes et des millions d’utilisateurs individuels. Le centre national de donnรฉes de lโ€™Indonรฉsie a รฉtรฉ touchรฉ par une variante du ranรงongiciel LockBit 3.0, ce qui a perturbรฉ les contrรดles dโ€™immigration et les services publics. Les pirates se sont depuis excusรฉs et ont proposรฉ de divulguer les clรฉs des donnรฉes volรฉes. Le centre hospitalier universitaire de Zagreb, en Croatie, a รฉgalement รฉtรฉ victime dโ€™une cyberattaque par LockBit. Malgrรฉ la hausse des attaques de ranรงongiciels, un rapport de Howden indique que les primes dโ€™assurance cybernรฉtique mondiales sont en baisse, car les entreprises amรฉliorent leurs capacitรฉs dโ€™attรฉnuation des pertes. En outre, prรจs de dix milliards de mots de passe uniques ont รฉtรฉ divulguรฉs dans une collection appelรฉe RockYou2024, ce qui accroรฎt les risques pour les utilisateurs qui les rรฉutilisent.

Lโ€™Australie a demandรฉ aux sociรฉtรฉs Internet de crรฉer des codes applicables dans les six mois pour empรชcher les enfants dโ€™accรฉder ร  des contenus inappropriรฉs. La Nouvelle-Zรฉlande a transformรฉ lโ€™appel ร  lโ€™action de Christchurch contre les contenus terroristes en ligne ร  une ONG, dรฉsormais financรฉe par des entreprises technologiques telles que Meta et Microsoft.

Droits numรฉriques

La proposition de loi de lโ€™UE visant ร  rendre obligatoire lโ€™analyse par lโ€™IA du contenu des applications de messagerie afin de dรฉtecter les contenus pรฉdopornographiques fait lโ€™objet de critiques en raison des risques dโ€™atteinte ร  la vie privรฉe et des faux positifs potentiels. Les rรฉgulateurs de lโ€™UE ont accusรฉ Meta dโ€™avoir enfreint les rรจgles en matiรจre de technologie par le biais dโ€™un modรจle publicitaire ยซ pay or consent ยป sur Facebook et Instagram, allรฉguant quโ€™il forรงait les utilisateurs ร  consentir au suivi des donnรฉes. Le ministรจre amรฉricain de la Justice envisage de porter plainte contre TikTok pour violation prรฉsumรฉe de la vie privรฉe des enfants. Google est accusรฉ par le groupe europรฉen de dรฉfense des donnรฉes NOYB (none of your business) de suivre les utilisateurs sans leur consentement รฉclairรฉ par lโ€™intermรฉdiaire de sa fonction Privacy Sandbox (bac ร  sable de protection de la vie privรฉe).

Juridique

La Cour pรฉnale internationale enquรชte sur des cyberattaques russes prรฉsumรฉes contre des infrastructures ukrainiennes, quโ€™elle considรจre comme des crimes de guerre potentiels. En Australie, une action en justice a รฉtรฉ engagรฉe contre Medibank pour une violation de donnรฉes touchant 9,7 millions de personnes. ByteDance et TikTok contestent une loi amรฉricaine visant ร  interdire lโ€™application, en invoquant des prรฉoccupations liรฉes ร  la libertรฉ dโ€™expression. Les sociรฉtรฉs mondiales de diffusion en continu contestent la nouvelle rรฉglementation canadienne, exigeant que 5 % des revenus soient consacrรฉs aux informations locales, remettant en cause la lรฉgalitรฉ des actions du gouvernement.

ร‰conomie de lโ€™internet

Le ministรจre chinois du Commerce a prรฉsentรฉ un projet de rรจgles visant ร  soutenir le commerce รฉlectronique transfrontalier en encourageant la crรฉation dโ€™entrepรดts ร  lโ€™รฉtranger, et en amรฉliorant la gestion des donnรฉes et la supervision des exportations. Nvidia fait face ร  des accusations potentielles en France concernant des allรฉgations de comportement anticoncurrentiel. Le premier semestre 2024 a รฉtรฉ marquรฉ par une forte augmentation des vols de cryptomonnaies, avec plus de 1,38 milliard de dollars volรฉs au 24 juin.

Dรฉveloppement

La premiรจre partie du rapport annuel de la Broadband Commission sur lโ€™รฉtat de la large bande, intitulรฉ ยซ Leveraging AI for Universal Connectivity ยป, explore lโ€™impact de lโ€™IA sur lโ€™administration en ligne, lโ€™รฉducation, les soins de santรฉ, la finance et la gestion de lโ€™environnement, ainsi que son potentiel pour combler ou รฉlargir la fracture numรฉrique. Lโ€™Inde imposera le port USB-C comme port de charge standard pour les smartphones et les tablettes ร  partir de juin 2025, sโ€™alignant ainsi sur les efforts de lโ€™UE pour rรฉduire les dรฉchets รฉlectroniques.

Socioculturel 

Les lรฉgislateurs de lโ€™ร‰tat de New York ont adoptรฉ une loi interdisant aux plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux dโ€™afficher des contenus algorithmiques addictifs ร  des utilisateurs de moins de 18 ans sans le consentement de leurs parents. La Commission europรฉenne a demandรฉ ร  Amazon des dรฉtails sur la maniรจre dont elle se conforme aux rรจgles de la loi sur les services numรฉriques, en mettant lโ€™accent sur la transparence de ses systรจmes de recommandation. Google Translate ajoute 110 langues, grรขce aux progrรจs de lโ€™IA.

LES CONVERSATIONS DE LA VILLE โ€“ GENรˆVE

Du 4 au 14 juin, le Conseil de lโ€™Union internationale des tรฉlรฉcommunications (UIT) a pris des dรฉcisions importantes sur le dรฉveloppement spatial, lโ€™action numรฉrique verte et la coopรฉration numรฉrique mondiale. Il a examinรฉ le rapport de la Secrรฉtaire gรฉnรฉral de lโ€™UIT sur la mise en ล“uvre du Programme Espace 2030, en mettant lโ€™accent sur lโ€™exploitation des technologies spatiales au service de la durabilitรฉ. Des rรฉsolutions ont รฉtรฉ rรฉdigรฉes pour souligner le rรดle de lโ€™UIT dans lโ€™utilisation des technologies numรฉriques pour la durabilitรฉ, avec un rapport sur les initiatives numรฉriques vertes actuelles. Lโ€™UIT continuera de participer au Pacte numรฉrique mondial (PMN) afin de renforcer la coopรฉration mondiale dans ce domaine.Le 14 juin, la premiรจre Journรฉe des mondes virtuels de lโ€™ONU a prรฉsentรฉ des technologies telles que la rรฉalitรฉ virtuelle et augmentรฉe, le mรฉtavers et lโ€™informatique spatiale pour faire progresser les ODD. Lโ€™รฉvรฉnement comprenait un segment de haut niveau, des applications rรฉelles, des discussions sur la politique et le lancement de lโ€™Initiative mondiale sur les mondes virtuels โ€“ Dรฉcouvrir le CitiVerse, une plateforme pour dรฉvelopper des cadres, sensibiliser, partager les meilleures pratiques et tester des solutions metaverses dans les villes.

En bref

IA@ONU : naviguer sur la corde raide entre innovation et impartialitรฉ

Les Nations unies ne manquent pas de sujets de prรฉoccupation, mais l’IA en ajoute de nouveaux. ร‰tant donnรฉ que les systรจmes propriรฉtaires d’IA disponibles dans le commerce comportent le caractรจre biaisรฉ des donnรฉes et de l’algorithme sur lequel ils sont dรฉveloppรฉs et s’accompagnent de restrictions et de problรจmes de transparence, la fiabilitรฉ de l’IA propriรฉtaire soulรจvera inรฉvitablement des questions quant ร  l’impartialitรฉ de ces systรจmes.

Pourquoi lโ€™impartialitรฉ est-elle importante pour les Nations unies ? Le principe dโ€™impartialitรฉ est la clรฉ de voรปte de la crรฉdibilitรฉ des Nations unies, garantissant que les conseils politiques restent objectifs, fondรฉs sur des preuves et attentifs ร  la diversitรฉ des points de vue. Cette impartialitรฉ sera mise ร  lโ€™รฉpreuve lorsque les Nations unies rรฉagiront ร  lโ€™inรฉvitable nรฉcessitรฉ dโ€™automatiser lโ€™รฉtablissement de rapports, la rรฉdaction et dโ€™autres activitรฉs essentielles ร  leur fonctionnement.

Pour garantir lโ€™impartialitรฉ, il faudrait que le cycle complet de lโ€™IA soit transparent et explicable, depuis les donnรฉes sur lesquelles reposent les modรจles fondamentaux jusquโ€™ร  lโ€™attribution dโ€™un poids aux diffรฉrents segments des systรจmes dโ€™IA.

Une approche inclusive du dรฉveloppement de lโ€™IA est essentielle au respect du principe dโ€™impartialitรฉ. Les trois premiers mots de la Charte des Nations unies, ยซ Nous, les peuples ยป, devraient guider le dรฉveloppement de lโ€™IA ร  lโ€™ONU. Les contributions des pays, des entreprises et des communautรฉs du monde entier ร  AI@UN pourraient renforcer le potentiel รฉlevรฉ de lโ€™IA pour soutenir les missions de lโ€™ONU en matiรจre de maintien de la paix mondiale, de promotion du dรฉveloppement et de protection des droits de lโ€™Homme.

IA@ONU a deux objectifs principaux :

  • soutenir les discussions politiques sur la transformation durable de lโ€™รฉcosystรจme de lโ€™ONU en matiรจre dโ€™IA ;
  • encourager les contributions des modรจles et agents dโ€™IA par les ร‰tats membres et dโ€™autres acteurs.

Comme point de dรฉpart, les principes directeurs suivants sont proposรฉs pour le dรฉveloppement et le dรฉploiement de modรจles, de modules et dโ€™agents dโ€™IA au sein des Nations unies.

1. Logiciel libre : respecter les principes, les traditions et les pratiques de la communautรฉ des logiciels libres. Lโ€™ouverture et la transparence devraient sโ€™appliquer ร  toutes les phases et ร  tous les aspects du cycle de vie de lโ€™IA, y compris la conservation des donnรฉes et des connaissances pour les systรจmes dโ€™IA, la sรฉlection des paramรจtres, et lโ€™attribution de poids pour dรฉvelopper des modรจles fondamentaux, des bases de donnรฉes vectorielles, des graphes de connaissances et dโ€™autres segments des systรจmes dโ€™IA. 

2. Modularitรฉ : dรฉvelopper des modules autonomes selon des normes et des paramรจtres communs. IA@ONU devrait commencer par des agents et des modules dโ€™IA pour les activitรฉs et les opรฉrations de base de lโ€™ONU.

3. Bien public : faire la promotion du bien public en utilisant lโ€™IA pour codifier les connaissances des Nations unies en tant que telles ร  lโ€™usage des pays, des communautรฉs et des citoyens du monde entier. Ce faisant, les Nations unies inspireraient la codification par lโ€™IA de diverses sources de connaissances, y compris les textes anciens et la culture orale, en tant que patrimoine commun de lโ€™humanitรฉ.   

4. Inclusion : permettre aux ร‰tats membres, aux entreprises et aux universitรฉs de contribuer, par leurs capacitรฉs et leurs ressources, aux aspects techniques, aux connaissances et ร  la facilitรฉ dโ€™utilisation dโ€™IA@ONU.

5. Multilinguisme : reprรฉsenter un large รฉventail de traditions linguistiques et culturelles. Une attention particuliรจre devrait รชtre accordรฉe ร  la rรฉcolte des connaissances et de la sagesse disponibles dans les traditions orales qui ne sont pas disponibles dans le corpus รฉcrit des livres et des publications.

6. Diversitรฉ : garantir la contribution dโ€™un large รฉventail de perspectives professionnelles, gรฉnรฉrationnelles, culturelles et religieuses. Si IA@ONU doit viser ร  identifier les convergences entre les diffรฉrents points de vue et approches, la diversitรฉ ne doit pas รชtre supprimรฉe par la dรฉmarche du plus petit dรฉnominateur commun que lโ€™on retrouve dans lโ€™IA. La diversitรฉ doit รชtre intรฉgrรฉe par la traรงabilitรฉ transparente des sources ร  lโ€™origine des rรฉsultats gรฉnรฉrรฉs par lโ€™IA. 

7. Accessibilitรฉ : adhรฉrer aux normes les plus รฉlevรฉes en matiรจre dโ€™accessibilitรฉ, en particulier pour les personnes handicapรฉes. IA@ONU doit accroรฎtre la participation des personnes handicapรฉes aux activitรฉs de lโ€™ONU, quโ€™il sโ€™agisse de rรฉunions ou de projets pratiques. Des solutions simples et une faible demande de bande passante devraient rendre le systรจme abordable pour tous. 

8. Interopรฉrabilitรฉ : aborder le problรจme des silos organisationnels dans la gestion des connaissances et des donnรฉes au sein du systรจme des Nations unies. Lโ€™interopรฉrabilitรฉ devrait รชtre facilitรฉe par des ontologies et des taxonomies de la connaissance, ainsi que par la conservation des donnรฉes et des normes techniques communes.

9. Professionnalisme : respecter les normes industrielles et รฉthiques les plus strictes en matiรจre de planification, de codage et de dรฉploiement dโ€™applications logicielles. Pour ce faire, les solutions dโ€™IA seront testรฉes, รฉvaluรฉes et soumises ร  un processus dโ€™examen par les pairs. Lโ€™objectif principal sera de maximiser le dรฉveloppement fiable de solutions dโ€™IA afin dโ€™avoir un impact direct sur la vie et le bien-รชtre des รชtres humains. 

10. Explicabilitรฉ : tracer chaque produit gรฉnรฉrรฉ par lโ€™IA, tel quโ€™un rapport ou une analyse, jusquโ€™aux sources utilisรฉes par lโ€™infรฉrence de lโ€™IA, y compris les textes, les images et les enregistrements sonores. Lโ€™explicabilitรฉ et la traรงabilitรฉ garantiraient la transparence et lโ€™impartialitรฉ des systรจmes IA@ONU.

11. Protection des donnรฉes et des connaissances : atteindre le plus haut niveau de protection des donnรฉes, des connaissances et des autres entrรฉes dans les systรจmes dโ€™IA. 

12. Sรฉcuritรฉ : garantir le plus haut niveau possible de sรฉcuritรฉ et de fiabilitรฉ dIA@ONU. Les logiciels libres, lโ€™รฉquipe rouge (red-teaming) et dโ€™autres mรฉthodes garantiront la protection des systรจmes en permettant au plus grand nombre possible dโ€™yeux critiques de tester et dโ€™รฉvaluer le code et les algorithmes de lโ€™IA. Les communautรฉs de lโ€™IA seront encouragรฉes ร  contribuer au red-teaming (lโ€™รฉquipe rouge) et ร  dโ€™autres tests du systรจme IA@ONU.

13. Durabilitรฉ : la rรฉalisation des ODD et de lโ€™Agenda 2030 par le biais de trois approches principales : premiรจrement, veiller ร  ce que les ODD bรฉnรฉficient dโ€™un poids plus important dans le dรฉveloppement de modรจles et dโ€™outils dโ€™IA ; deuxiรจmement, les systรจmes dโ€™IA eux-mรชmes devraient รชtre durables, par exemple en partageant le code, en dรฉveloppant des ressources, et en fournissant des documentations et des pistes de dรฉveloppement appropriรฉes ; troisiรจmement, les solutions dโ€™IA devraient รชtre dรฉveloppรฉes et dรฉployรฉes en gardant ร  lโ€™esprit la durabilitรฉ de lโ€™environnement.

14. Capacitรฉ : en dรฉveloppant un systรจme dโ€™IA, lโ€™ONU devrait accroรฎtre ses propres capacitรฉs en la matiรจre et celles dโ€™un plus grand nombre de personnes. Le dรฉveloppement des capacitรฉs devrait รชtre : (a) holistique, impliquant le Secrรฉtariat de lโ€™ONU, les reprรฉsentants des ร‰tats membres et dโ€™autres communautรฉs impliquรฉes dans les activitรฉs de lโ€™ONU ; et (b) complet, couvrant un large รฉventail de capacitรฉs dโ€™IA, allant dโ€™une comprรฉhension de base de lโ€™IA ร  des compรฉtences techniques de haut niveau. 

15.  Protection de lโ€™avenir : planifier et dรฉployer des systรจmes adaptรฉs aux futures tendances technologiques. Lโ€™expรฉrience et lโ€™expertise acquises dans le cadre dโ€™IAI@ONU devraient รชtre utilisรฉes pour traiter dโ€™autres technologies รฉmergentes, telles que la rรฉalitรฉ augmentรฉe/virtuelle et lโ€™informatique quantique. 

Opportunitรฉs en cas de crises : la transformation de lโ€™IA provoquera inรฉvitablement des tensions en raison de son impact sur les couches les plus profondes du fonctionnement des Nations unies. Lโ€™opposition probable fondรฉe sur la peur humaine et lโ€™attachement au statu quo devrait รชtre ouvertement abordรฉe et recadrรฉe autour des opportunitรฉs que la transformation de lโ€™IA ouvrira aux niveaux individuel et institutionnel.

Par exemple, lโ€™IA peut aider les petits pays et les pays en dรฉveloppement ร  participer de maniรจre plus informรฉe et plus efficace aux travaux des Nations unies. Lโ€™IA peut contribuer ร  compenser la taille rรฉduite de leurs missions et services diplomatiques, qui doivent suivre la mรชme dynamique diplomatique que les systรจmes plus importants. Lโ€™accent mis sur lโ€™IA rรฉduit lโ€™asymรฉtrie actuelle de lโ€™IA.

Lโ€™IA peut รฉgalement aider le Secrรฉtariat des Nations unies ร  recentrer son temps et ses ressources, et ร  consacrer moins de temps ร  la bureaucratie traditionnelle, comme la prรฉparation des rapports, afin de pouvoir travailler davantage sur le terrain dans les ร‰tats membres, oรน leur aide est cruciale.

Prochaines รฉtapes : sโ€™engager sur la voie de lโ€™intรฉgration de lโ€™IA dans les opรฉrations des Nations unies nโ€™est pas simplement une รฉtape, mais un saut dans lโ€™avenir, qui exige de lโ€™audace, un esprit de coopรฉration et un dรฉvouement inรฉbranlable aux idรฉaux qui ont ancrรฉ les Nations unies depuis leur crรฉation. Le potentiel de lโ€™IA pour soutenir la mission de lโ€™ONU de maintenir la paix dans le monde, de faire progresser le dรฉveloppement et de dรฉfendre les droits de lโ€™Homme est immense. En fait, la nรฉcessitรฉ dโ€™adopter un cadre dโ€™IA ร  source ouverte dรฉpasse le besoin dโ€™innovation technologique. En adoptant une approche ouverte de lโ€™IA, les Nations unies seront en mesure dโ€™รฉvoluer, de prendre lโ€™initiative et de rester pertinentes dans un paysage mondial en mutation rapide.

En tirant parti du pouvoir de transformation de lโ€™IA, les Nations unies peuvent transformer un dรฉfi imminent en un moment dรฉcisif, garantissant ainsi la pertinence et le leadership de lโ€™organisation dans la dรฉfinition de la voie du progrรจs humain pour tous.

Ce texte a รฉtรฉ adaptรฉ de AI@UN : Navigating the tightrope between innovation and impartiality, publiรฉ pour la premiรจre fois sur le blogroll de Diplo.

Analyse

Comment les dialogueurs dโ€™IA maรฎtrisent le langage : les enseignements de la linguistique de Saussure

La linguistique, entremรชlรฉe ร  la technologie moderne, suscite des questions sur la faรงon dont les dialogueurs fonctionnent et rรฉpondent de maniรจre cohรฉrente ร  diverses entrรฉes. Les dialogueurs, alimentรฉs par de grands modรจles de langage (LLM), comme ChatGPT, acquiรจrent une cognition numรฉrique et formulent des rรฉponses en utilisant des principes enracinรฉs dans les thรฉories linguistiques de Ferdinand de Saussure.Les travaux de Saussure, au dรฉbut du XXe siรจcle, ont jetรฉ les bases de la comprรฉhension du langage par la syntaxe et la sรฉmantique. La syntaxe dรฉsigne les rรจgles qui rรฉgissent lโ€™agencement des mots pour former des phrases significatives. Saussure considรฉrait la syntaxe comme un systรจme de conventions au sein dโ€™une communautรฉ linguistique, liรฉ ร  dโ€™autres รฉlรฉments linguistiques tels que la sรฉmantique. La sรฉmantique implique lโ€™รฉtude du sens dans la langue. Saussure a introduit le concept de signe, composรฉ du signifiant (son/image) et du signifiรฉ (concept), qui est crucial pour comprendre comment les LLM traitent et interprรจtent le sens des mots.

 Art, Modern Art, Graphics, Painting, Person, Tape, Face, Head

Comment les LLM traitent le langage. Les LLM tels que ChatGPT traitent et comprennent le langage par le biais de plusieurs mรฉcanismes fondamentaux.

  1. Entraรฎnement sur de grandes quantitรฉs de donnรฉes textuelles provenant dโ€™Internet pour prรฉdire le mot suivant dans une sรฉquence.
  2. Segmentation en unitรฉs pour diviser le texte en รฉlรฉments plus petits.
  3. Apprentissage des relations entre les mots et les phrases pour la comprรฉhension sรฉmantique.
  4. Utilisation de reprรฉsentations vectorielles pour reconnaรฎtre les similitudes et gรฉnรฉrer des rรฉponses adaptรฉes au contexte.
  5. Exploitation de lโ€™architecture des transformateurs pour traiter efficacement les contextes longs et les structures linguistiques complexes.

Les LLM transforment le texte en unitรฉs segmentรฉes (signifiants) et les mettent en correspondance avec des enchรขssements qui capturent leurs significations (signifiรฉs). Le modรจle apprend ces enchรขssements en traitant de grandes quantitรฉs de texte, en identifiant des modรจles et des relations analogues aux structures linguistiques de Saussure.

Sรฉmantique et syntaxe dans les grands modรจles de langage (LLM). La comprรฉhension et la production de texte dans les LLM impliquent un traitement ร  la fois sรฉmantique et syntaxique. 

Pour traiter la sรฉmantique, les LLM sโ€™appuient sur (a) des enchรขssements de mots contextuels qui saisissent le sens des mots dans diffรฉrents contextes en fonction de leur utilisation, (b) un mรฉcanisme dโ€™attention qui donne la prioritรฉ aux mots importants, et (c) une comprรฉhension contextuelle en couches qui traite les mots ayant plusieurs sens apparentรฉs (polysรฉmie) et diffรฉrents mots ayant le mรชme sens (synonymie). Le modรจle est prรฉ-entraรฎnรฉ sur des modรจles de langage gรฉnรฉraux et affinรฉ sur des ensembles de donnรฉes spรฉcifiques pour une meilleure comprรฉhension sรฉmantique. 

Concernant la syntaxe, les LLM utilisent (a) lโ€™encodage positionnel pour comprendre lโ€™ordre des mots, (b) les mรฉcanismes dโ€™attention pour maintenir la structure de la phrase, (c) le traitement en couches pour construire des phrases complexes, et (d) lโ€™apprentissage de la grammaire probabiliste ร  partir de grandes quantitรฉs de texte. La segmentation et la modรฉlisation des sรฉquences permettent de suivre les relations entre les mots, et le modรจle de transformation intรจgre ร  la fois la structure et le sens de la phrase ร  chaque รฉtape, garantissant ainsi que les rรฉponses sont ร  la fois significatives et grammaticalement correctes. Lโ€™entraรฎnement sur divers ensembles de donnรฉes amรฉliore encore sa capacitรฉ ร  gรฉnรฉraliser les diffรฉrentes faรงons dโ€™utiliser le langage, faisant du Dialogueur un puissant outil de traitement du langage naturel.

Lโ€™intรฉgration des thรฉories linguistiques de Saussure aux mรฉcanismes cognitifs des grands modรจles de langage รฉclaire le fonctionnement interne des systรจmes dโ€™IA contemporains et renforce รฉgalement la pertinence des thรฉories linguistiques classiques ร  lโ€™รจre de lโ€™IA.

Ce texte a รฉtรฉ adaptรฉ de Au commencement รฉtait le mot, et le mot รฉtait avec le Dialogueur, et le mot รฉtait le Dialogueur, publiรฉ pour la premiรจre fois sur le site web du Digital Watch Observatory.

En Bref

Les gรฉants des mรฉdias sociaux obtiennent gain de cause dans lโ€™affrontement sur la libertรฉ dโ€™expression devant la Cour suprรชme des ร‰tats-Unis

Les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux jouent un rรดle prรฉpondรฉrant dans la vie des gens, non seulement pour la communication, mais aussi pour la rรฉception et la diffusion dโ€™informations. Dans le mรชme temps, le contenu des mรฉdias sociaux peut prรฉsenter certains risques, tels que la possibilitรฉ de discours haineux, la diffusion de fausses informations et de dรฉsinformation, et le harcรจlement.

Cette situation a soulevรฉ des questions sur leurs responsabilitรฉs dans la rรฉgulation de ces contenus, ainsi que sur le rรดle des gouvernements dans la prise de mesures.

Les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux ont-elles le droit de sโ€™exprimer librement ? Les gouvernements peuvent-ils mettre en ล“uvre des politiques ร  leur encontre et ร  lโ€™encontre de leurs propres politiques de contenu ? La Cour suprรชme des ร‰tats-Unis sโ€™est penchรฉe sur ces questions dans ses arrรชts Moody vs NetChoice et NetChoice, LLC vs Paxton.

NetChoice et la Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), une association rรฉunissant des entreprises de mรฉdias sociaux et des plateformes Internet, ont contestรฉ les lois de deux ร‰tats amรฉricains, la Floride et le Texas. Ces lois ont รฉtรฉ adoptรฉes en 2021 alors que le Parti rรฉpublicain critiquait de plus en plus lโ€™application par les entreprises de mรฉdias sociaux de leurs propres politiques. Les tensions se sont aggravรฉes lorsque de grandes plateformes comme Twitter, YouTube et Meta, de Facebook, ont suspendu les comptes de lโ€™ancien prรฉsident Trump ร  la suite de ses remarques sur lโ€™รฉmeute du 6 janvier 2021 au Capitole.

NetChoice et CCIA ont affirmรฉ que les lois de la Floride et du Texas violaient les droits du premier amendement des entreprises privรฉes et que les gouvernements ne devraient pas รชtre autorisรฉs ร  intervenir dans les politiques dโ€™expression des entreprises privรฉes. Un groupe de politologues a dรฉposรฉ un mรฉmoire dโ€™amicus curiae indiquant que ces deux lois ne fixent pas de seuil quant ร  ce quโ€™elles considรจrent comme un discours haineux, et quant aux discours dangereux et violents liรฉs aux รฉlections qui pourraient empรชcher les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux de modรฉrer les menaces ร  lโ€™encontre des responsables รฉlectoraux.

Par ailleurs, les reprรฉsentants du Texas et de la Floride affirment que ces lois visent ร  rรฉglementer la responsabilitรฉ des plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux plutรดt quโ€™ร  restreindre le discours en ligne, tout en soulignant que le premier amendement ne sโ€™applique pas aux entreprises privรฉes. Une cour dโ€™appel fรฉdรฉrale amรฉricaine a invalidรฉ la loi de la Floride, tandis quโ€™une autre a confirmรฉ la loi du Texas. Toutefois, les deux lois ont รฉtรฉ suspendues dans lโ€™attente de la dรฉcision finale de la Cour suprรชme des ร‰tats-Unis.

 Indoors, Courtroom, Room

La Cour suprรชme a dรฉcidรฉ que les dรฉcisions des tribunaux de premiรจre instance nโ€™รฉtaient pas suffisantes pour garantir le droit ร  la libertรฉ dโ€™expression en vertu du premier amendement et que les deux lois รฉtaient inconstitutionnelles.

En conclusion de sa dรฉcision, la Cour suprรชme a estimรฉ que les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux sont protรฉgรฉes par le premier amendement lorsquโ€™elles crรฉent du contenu. La Cour suprรชme a รฉgalement statuรฉ que la prรฉsentation dโ€™une collection de discours dโ€™autrui est considรฉrรฉe comme une activitรฉ expressive. La Cour suprรชme a notamment dรฉclarรฉ que :

ยซ Dans la mesure oรน les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux crรฉent des produits expressifs, elles bรฉnรฉficient de la protection du premier amendement. Et bien que ces affaires soient ici ร  un stade prรฉliminaire, le dossier actuel suggรจre que certaines plateformes, au moins dans certaines fonctions, sont engagรฉes dans une activitรฉ dโ€™expression. En outre, โ€œlโ€™activitรฉ expressive inclut la prรฉsentation dโ€™une compilation de discours crรฉรฉs ร  lโ€™origine par dโ€™autresโ€. ยป

Pour lโ€™essentiel, cette dรฉcision crรฉe un prรฉcรฉdent en รฉtablissant des droits ร  la libertรฉ dโ€™expression au titre du premier amendement pour les plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux et les entreprises privรฉes aux ร‰tats-Unis. En effet, les ร‰tats amรฉricains ne peuvent pas mettre en ล“uvre des politiques limitant leur capacitรฉ ร  rรฉglementer le contenu diffusรฉ sur leurs plateformes. Cela pourrait empรชcher les gouvernements de promulguer des lois conduisant ร  la perte dโ€™indรฉpendance des plateformes de mรฉdias sociaux dans la rรฉgulation de leur contenu.

Les gouvernements avancent ร  grands pas dans la surveillance du marchรฉ de la concurrence numรฉrique

En 1996, John Perry Barlow a rรฉdigรฉ une ยซ Dรฉclaration dโ€™indรฉpendance du cyberespace ยป. Ce document dโ€™anthologie, qui reflรฉtait la culture libertaire de lโ€™internet de lโ€™รฉpoque, sโ€™opposait ร  lโ€™intervention gouvernementale et ร  la rรฉglementation du secteur technologique en plein essor. En consรฉquence, les gouvernements du monde entier ont adoptรฉ une approche non interventionniste, partant du principe que la rรฉglementation risquait dโ€™รฉtouffer lโ€™innovation.

Prรจs de 30 ans plus tard, cette vision des choses a radicalement changรฉ. Ces derniรจres annรฉes, des rapports publiรฉs par plusieurs organisations, telles que la Banque mondiale, lโ€™Internet Society et la CNUCED, ont montrรฉ une concentration croissante de la richesse et du pouvoir dans lโ€™รฉconomie numรฉrique. Les fractures liรฉes aux donnรฉes sont particuliรจrement pertinentes dans ce contexte, car elles entraรฎnent une concentration en amont, dans les secteurs technologiques ร  forte intensitรฉ de donnรฉes, tels que lโ€™IA. Dans ce contexte, les enquรชtes sur les comportements potentiellement anticoncurrentiels adoptรฉs par les entreprises technologiques se multiplient.

Dans lโ€™UE, des enquรชtes rรฉcentes ont abouti ร  la premiรจre accusation portรฉe par la Commission europรฉenne contre une entreprise technologique en vertu de la loi sur les marchรฉs numรฉriques (Digital Markets Act, DMA), une loi conรงue pour limiter la domination des grandes entreprises technologiques et favoriser une concurrence loyale. Selon les conclusions prรฉliminaires dโ€™une enquรชte lancรฉe en mars, Apple serait en infraction avec la loi sur les marchรฉs numรฉriques. Lโ€™App Store, dโ€™Apple, รฉvincerait les places de marchรฉ concurrentes en rendant plus difficile pour les utilisateurs le tรฉlรฉchargement dโ€™applications ร  partir dโ€™autres magasins, et en ne permettant pas aux dรฉveloppeurs dโ€™applications de communiquer librement et de conclure des contrats avec leurs utilisateurs finaux. Apple a eu la possibilitรฉ dโ€™examiner les conclusions prรฉliminaires et peut encore รฉviter une amende si elle prรฉsente une proposition satisfaisante pour rรฉsoudre le problรจme.

Certains pays durcissent รฉgalement leur lรฉgislation en matiรจre de concurrence. Lโ€™ยซ effet Bruxelles ยป et lโ€™influence de la DMA sont visibles dans le projet de loi sur la concurrence numรฉrique, proposรฉ par le gouvernement indien pour complรฉter les lois antitrust existantes. Comme la DMA, la loi viserait les grandes entreprises et pourrait prรฉvoir des amendes aussi lourdes. Il serait notamment interdit aux gรฉants de la technologie dโ€™exploiter les donnรฉes non publiques des utilisateurs et de favoriser leurs propres produits ou services sur leurs plateformes. Il leur serait รฉgalement interdit de restreindre la capacitรฉ des utilisateurs ร  tรฉlรฉcharger, installer ou utiliser des applications tierces.

Le projet de loi suscite lโ€™inquiรฉtude des entreprises technologiques. Un groupe de dรฉfense amรฉricain sโ€™y est opposรฉ, craignant son incidence sur les entreprises. Inspirรฉes par la croyance commune qui a dominรฉ le secteur technologique dans les annรฉes 1990, les entreprises technologiques affirment que le projet de loi indien pourrait รฉtouffer lโ€™innovation. Toutefois, il est peu probable que cette affirmation prospรจre. 

Les inquiรฉtudes concernant la concurrence dans le secteur technologique se font de plus en plus vives aux ร‰tats-Unis, traditionnellement partisans dโ€™une rรฉglementation minimale. Les ร‰tats-Unis renforcent les contrรดles de lโ€™industrie de lโ€™IA, le DOJ et la Federal Trade Commission (FTC) se partageant la surveillance : la FTC rรฉglementera OpenAI et Microsoft, tandis que le DOJ supervisera Nvidia. Bien que moins actifs que lโ€™UE en matiรจre de rรฉglementation de la concurrence, les ร‰tats-Unis surveillent de prรจs les fusions et les acquisitions. Ce rรฉcent accord entre les deux organes gouvernementaux a ouvert la voie au lancement dโ€™enquรชtes sur la concurrence.

La concurrence devient de plus en plus un terrain de jeu oรน lโ€™activitรฉ et la surveillance des gouvernements sont importantes. Alors que les pays rรฉaffirment leur compรฉtence, les revendications de cyberindรฉpendance semblent รชtre un lointain รฉcho du passรฉ.

Ce texte a รฉtรฉ publiรฉ pour la premiรจre fois sur le blog de Diplo. Lire la version originale.


Actualitรฉs de la Francophonie

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Francophones, hispanophones et lusophones plaident pour plus de diversitรฉ linguistique et culturelle dans le PNM

A lโ€™initiative de lโ€™OIF et du Groupe des Ambassadeurs francophones de New York, un atelier de discussion sur la diversitรฉ culturelle et linguistique ร  lโ€™รจre du numรฉrique et des technologies รฉmergentes sโ€™est tenu aux Nations unies le 18 juin 2024, dans le contexte des nรฉgociations du Pacte numรฉrique mondial. 

Lโ€™รฉvรจnement organisรฉ en partenariat avec les Reprรฉsentations permanentes ร  lโ€™ONU de la Rรฉpublique dรฉmocratique du Congo – qui prรฉside le GAF-NY, du Brรฉsil – qui coordonne la Communautรฉ des pays de langue portugaise, du Mexique โ€“ membre du Groupe des amis de lโ€™Espagnol, de la Roumanie et du Cabo Verde, a permis dโ€™alerter sur les menaces et de mettre en lumiรจre le potentiel des dรฉveloppements numรฉriques pour la prรฉservation, la promotion et le respect de la diversitรฉ des langues et des cultures.  

Les Ambassadeurs prรฉsents ont collectivement rรฉaffirmรฉ leur engagement en faveur de lโ€™inclusion numรฉrique, mettant en garde contre le risque dโ€™รฉlargir les fractures numรฉriques ร  travers un Pacte qui nโ€™adresserait quโ€™insuffisamment les dรฉfis liรฉs ร  la diversitรฉ. De nombreuses idรฉes ont รฉtรฉ partagรฉes sur les moyens de renforcer les formulations relatives ร  la diversitรฉ culturelle et linguistique dans le texte du Pacte.

Lโ€™OIF avait conviรฉ plusieurs experts ร  apporter leur point de vue. Ainsi, le Prรฉsident de lโ€™Observatoire de la diversitรฉ linguistique et culturelle dans l’Internet, Daniel Pimienta, est revenu sur la prรฉsence et les รฉvolutions des langues sur la toile. Pour sa part, Hannah Taieb, Directrice du dรฉveloppement chez Spideo, entreprise spรฉcialisรฉe dans la fourniture dโ€™algorithmes de recommandation sur internet, a replacรฉ lโ€™enjeu de la dรฉcouvrabilitรฉ des contenus culturels dans un contexte de prolifรฉration des plateformes numรฉriques, dont lโ€™offre de plus en plus diversifiรฉe est guidรฉe par lโ€™expรฉrience utilisateur. Elle a ainsi plaidรฉ pour plus de transparence des plateformes sur le fonctionnement de leurs algorithmes de recommandation.

 People, Person, Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie, Indoors, Adult, Male, Man, Computer, Electronics, Laptop, Pc, Chair, Furniture, Crowd, Glasses, Architecture, Building, Classroom, Room, School, Audience, Lecture, Computer Hardware, Hardware, Monitor, Screen

Cet atelier de haut niveau sโ€™inscrit dans lโ€™action multiforme que lโ€™OIF mรจne pour appuyer ses pays membres engagรฉs dans les nรฉgociations actuelles du Pacte numรฉrique mondial ร  New York. Ainsi, la Reprรฉsentation 

de lโ€™OIF ร  Genรจve a fait circuler des analyses dรฉtaillรฉes des propositions de texte aprรจs quโ€™aient รฉtรฉ publiรฉes la 1e rรฉvision puis la 2e rรฉvision du document constituant le Pacte numรฉrique. Ces analyses, complรฉtรฉes par le compte-rendu des prises de parole des dรฉlรฉgations lors des sessions se dรฉroulant ร  New York, permettent aux pays francophones dโ€™avoir une bonne comprรฉhension du contexte et des enjeux derriรจre les รฉvolutions des formulations.

Les experts numรฉriques francophones de Genรจve รฉchangent avec M. Zavazava, Directeur du bureau du dรฉveloppement des tรฉlรฉcommunications de lโ€™Union internationale des Tรฉlรฉcommunications (UIT)

La Reprรฉsentation permanente de lโ€™OIF ร  Genรจve (RPGV) a hรฉbergรฉ le 21 juin dans ses locaux une rencontre entre les experts numรฉriques des missions diplomatiques francophones ร  Genรจve et M. Cosmos Zavazava, Directeur du Bureau du dรฉveloppement des tรฉlรฉcommunications ร  lโ€™Union internationale des Tรฉlรฉcommunications (UIT) 

Ce dernier a prรฉsentรฉ les actions de son bureau en faveur des pays en dรฉveloppement et notamment des pays francophones. La question de lโ€™aide que lโ€™UIT peut apporter en matiรจre de transition numรฉrique et de dรฉveloppement des infrastructures dโ€™intelligence artificielle pour combler le fossรฉ numรฉrique existant entre pays, a รฉtรฉ particuliรจrement รฉvoquรฉe.

 People, Person, Indoors, Adult, Male, Man, Crowd, Chair, Furniture, Accessories, Bag, Handbag, Lamp, Female, Woman, Electronics, Speaker, Computer, Laptop, Pc, Formal Wear, Tie, Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Audience, Computer Hardware, Hardware, Monitor, Screen, Hall, Face, Head, Glasses

Dรฉclaration conjointe du Groupe des Ambassadeurs Francophones (GAF) de Genรจve autour des technologies รฉmergentes lors de la session du Conseil des droits de lโ€™Homme

Les coordinations thรฉmatiques ยซ Droits de lโ€™Homme ยป et ยซ numรฉrique ยป du GAF de Genรจve ont travaillรฉ de concert pour รฉlaborer une Dรฉclaration conjointe qui a รฉtรฉ lue par lโ€™Ambassadeur de Belgique, S.E.M. Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, au nom du GAF dans le cadre du Dialogue interactif sur le rapport du Haut-Commissaire aux droits de lโ€™Homme ยซ Les technologies nouvelles et รฉmergentes ยป  qui sโ€™est tenu lundi 1er juillet ร  Genรจve.

Cette Dรฉclaration a mis en relief le soutien des pays francophones au dรฉveloppement dโ€™un cadre multilatรฉral de gouvernance des technologies numรฉriques et de lโ€™intelligence artificielle, sur la base dโ€™une approche multidimensionnelle et multi-acteurs, et basรฉe sur les droits humains, lโ€™universalitรฉ ainsi que la diversitรฉ culturelle et linguistique.

 People, Person, Adult, Female, Woman, Crowd, Architecture, Building, College, Male, Man, Chair, Furniture, Indoors, Electrical Device, Microphone, Computer Hardware, Electronics, Hardware, Monitor, Screen, Audience, Speaker, Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie, Classroom, Room, School, Face, Head, Lecture

Ateliers en collaboration avec lโ€™UNIDIR autour des enjeux dโ€™IA dans le domaine militaire et des cybermenaces

La Reprรฉsentation de lโ€™OIF ร  Genรจve a lancรฉ avec lโ€™Institut des Nations unies pour la recherche sur le dรฉsarmement (UNIDIR) et la Mission permanente de la France auprรจs de la Confรฉrence pour le dรฉsarmement, une sรฉrie de six sรฉances dโ€™information en langue franรงaise sur des questions liรฉes au dรฉsarmement. La premiรจre de ces sรฉances, organisรฉe le 19 juin, a portรฉ sur ยซ lโ€™intelligence artificielle dans le domaine militaire : enjeux et gouvernance ยป, Ont รฉtรฉ examinรฉes les capacitรฉs et potentialitรฉs de lโ€™IA appliquรฉes au domaine militaire, les bรฉnรฉfices et les risques quโ€™elles entraรฎnent, les questions juridiques et รฉthiques quโ€™elles soulรจvent, ainsi que la gouvernance qui pourrait รชtre รฉtablie pour assurer le dรฉveloppement dโ€™une IA maitrisรฉe et responsable. Puis le 24 juin, cโ€™est la thรฉmatique des cybermenaces, son paysage et les รฉvolutions rรฉcentes, notamment dans le contexte de conflits armรฉs, qui a fait lโ€™objet dโ€™รฉchanges animรฉs lors du deuxiรจme atelier de cette sรฉrie.

 People, Person, Adult, Female, Woman, Audience, Crowd, Indoors, Lecture, Room, Seminar, Male, Man, Architecture, Building, Classroom, School, Electronics, Screen, Computer Hardware, Hardware, Monitor, Electrical Device, Microphone, Mobile Phone, Phone

DW Weekly #168 โ€“ 12 July 2024

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Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

We will spotlight another round of the China vs the USA tech competition. Last week, WIPO published a report on the landscape of patents in generative AI or GenAI (think AI that can generate images, videos, text, music, code, etc.) One of the main takeaways from this report, which has been all over the headlines, is that China has a substantial lead in AI patents, with six times more GenAI inventions than the second country on the list, the USA. The Republic of Korea, Japan, and India round up the top five.

Titled 'Number of GenAI patent applications, a stepped award stage shows flags representing the 5 top contenders: (1) China, (2) the USA, (3) South Korea, (4) Japan, and (5) India

This week, a survey of business decision-makers has shown that 83% of Chinese organisations are using GenAI

Does all this recent data show that China is winning the AI race? Not quite. While the country is ahead in some areas, the USA is a strong contender. The USA produced more notable machine-learning models in 2023 (61 compared to Chinaโ€™s 15), leads in AI foundation models, variational autoencoders (VAEs), and private AI investments. Plus, we should remember that the number of patents doesnโ€™t correlate to their quality or impact โ€“ the mere registration of patents doesnโ€™t automatically translate into apps or services being put on the market. 

(Sidebar: foundation models are machine learning models trained on broad and diverse data and which can be adapted to a wide range of tasks across different domains; they serve as a base for more specialised models dedicated to specific tasks or areas. A variational autoencoder (VAE) is a generative AI algorithm that uses deep learning to generate new content based on the structure of the input data.) 

The USA nudges ahead with 24% of organisations fully implementing GenAI compared to 19% in China. In addition, since 2018, the USA has been embroiled in a chip war with China, blacklisting Chinese chipmakers and tightening controls on the export of its most advanced chip-related technologies. This is particularly important because there are almost no semiconductors without some kind of US-trademarked bits in their design or production processes, making things tricky for Chinese chipmakers and industries reliant on such technology, including AI, in the meantime.

Stepping away from the US-China competition, itโ€™s important to acknowledge that there are other actors out there to watch. One is India, which had the highest growth rates in GenAI patent family publications (56% per year). 

Interestingly, another survey shows that most (polled) Americans view winning the AI race against China as secondary to a cautious approach to AI development to prevent its misuse by adversaries. Only 23% believe the USA should rapidly build powerful AI to outpace China and gain a decisive advantage.

While the USA and China are grappling with each other, and others are rushing to catch up, the contender closest to the crown right now is AI itself.

The discussions at the 8th substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021โ€“2025 are still ongoing, today being the last day. AI reports and transcripts are available on our dedicated web page, with a human-generated analysis planned for next week.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 5-12 July 2024

building 1011876 1280

The decision comes amid regulatory scrutiny from antitrust watchdogs in Europe, the UK, and the US concerning Microsoftโ€™s potential influence over OpenAI.

the white house

President Joe Biden has formed a team of experts to create standards for AI training and deployment across industries.

serbia ai supercomputer

The new AI Development Strategy 2024-2030 builds on this solid foundation, aiming to nurture a vibrant AI ecosystem in Serbia.

eu cybersecurity standards

The European Commission’s AI Act will classify AI-based cybersecurity and emergency services in connected devices as high-risk, requiring extensive testing and security measures, significantly impacting various sectors like medical devices…

OpenAi

OpenAI announced it would block Chinese users from accessing its services on 9 July, amid rising US-China tensions, affecting developers who relied on OpenAI tools.

electronics 4972649 1280

The semiconductor industry, now leading the S&P 500, is experiencing explosive demand driven by AI advancements.

japanese and us flags semiconductor consortium

Based in Silicon Valley, the consortium will focus on developing advanced back-end technologies for semiconductor packaging, aiming to be fully operational next year.

eu and china flags

The initiative comes amid rising EU-China tensions, exemplified by tariffs of up to 37.6% on Chinese electric vehicles.

woman using laptop wood desk with cyberattack warning screen cyber security concept

US authorities have disrupted a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign, Meliorator, which uses AI to create fake social media personas and spread false information in the US and internationally.

hacker working in the darkness

Chinaโ€™s embassy in Australia dismissed the allegations as ‘political manoeuvring’.

nato flag north atlantic treaty organization flag waving

The move, unveiled during the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, DC, marks NATO’s 75th anniversary and addresses the increasing cyber threats, especially following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

print at home concert tickets

Hackers leaked nearly 39,000 print-at-home tickets for major events in an extortion scheme against Ticketmaster.

new zealand

The shift aims to ensure long-term success and maintain a multistakeholder approach involving governments, tech companies, and civil society.

taiwan flag is depicted on the screen with the program code

Despite this slowdown, the bank plans to conduct public hearings next year to inform the public about digital currency.

amazon logo

Amazon is under pressure from the European Commission to enhance transparency and ensure compliance with new regulations to tackle illegal and harmful content online.

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The legislative change introduces three new types of licences for satellite internet service providers, one of which allows Starlink to apply as a licensed service provider pending regulatory approval.



ICYMI

The Detroit Police Department has agreed to new rules limiting how it can use facial recognition technology, prompted by a lawsuit over a wrongful arrest in 2020. The EU and France flex their antitrust powers against Microsoft, Apple and Nvidia. Watch for details!


Upcoming

8N6ikeWA un flag blue

The UN OEWG 2021โ€“2025 8th substantive session will focus on adopting the group’s annual progress report (APR), taking stock of the group’s discussions over the previous year and charting the way forward for the group. The GIP follows the event; just-in-time reports and transcripts are available on our dedicated web page.

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In the July issue of our monthly newsletter, we look at how the UN can navigate the tightrope between innovation and impartiality when integrating AI in its operations, explore how AI chatbots master language using principles rooted in the linguistic theories of Ferdinand de Saussure, look at recent governments’ actions on digital antitrust oversight, and explain how social media giants won in a free speech showdown at the US Supreme Court.

Digital Watch newsletter โ€“ Issue 91 โ€“ July 2024

Front page of the Newsletter

Snapshot: The developments that made waves

AI governance

The UN General Assembly has adopted a non-binding resolution on AI capacity building, led by China, to enhance developing countries’ AI capabilities through international cooperation. It also calls for support from international organisations and financial institutions. African ICT and communications ministers have endorsed the Continental AI Strategy and the African Digital Compact to boost the continentโ€™s digital transformation. The G7 Leadersโ€™ Communiquรฉ emphasised a coordinated strategy for handling AI’s opportunities and challenges, introducing an action plan for workplace AI adoption and underlining initiatives such as advancing the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct, supporting SMEs, and promoting digital inclusion and lifelong learning.

The International Monetary Fund has recommended fiscal policies for governments grappling with the economic impacts of AI, including taxes on excess profits and a carbon levy.

China leads the world in generative AI patent requests, significantly outpacing the USA. At the same time, US tech companies dominate in producing cutting-edge AI systems, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). A European Commission report shows the EU lags behind its 2030 AI targets, with only 11% of enterprises using designated AI technologies, far short of the 75% target. The Japanese Defence Ministry has introduced its first AI policy to enhance defence operations. Brazil is partnering with OpenAI to modernise legal processes, reduce court costs, and improve efficiency in the solicitor generalโ€™s office.

Technologies

The USA has introduced draft rules to regulate investments in China, focusing on AI and advanced technology sectors that may pose national security threats. The USA plans to expand sanctions on semiconductor chips and other goods sold to Russia, targeting Chinese third-party sellers. Discussions are ongoing with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict 11 Chinese chipmaking factories and extend equipment export controls. The USA faces a projected shortage of 90,000 semiconductor technicians by 2030, prompting the Biden administration to launch a workforce development program.

The European Commission is seeing industry views about Chinaโ€™s increased production of older-generation computer chips.

China will develop standards for brain-computer interfaces (BCI) through a new technical committee, focusing on data encoding, communication, visualisation, electroencephalogram data collection, and applications in various fields.

Infrastructure

Telecommunications companies from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will invest over USD 50 million in laying 370 kilometres of fibre optic cables under the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, Senegal’s new digital chief announced plans to enhance digital infrastructure, coordinate government programs, foster collaborations, and build on previous achievements to increase the digital economy’s GDP contribution.

Cybersecurity

The UN Security Council held an open debate on cybersecurity, focusing on evolving cyber threats and the need for positive digital advancements.

A recent cyberattack on the cloud storage company Snowflake is shaping up to be one of the largest data breaches ever, impacting hundreds of Snowflake business customers and millions of individual users. Indonesiaโ€™s national data centre was hit by a variant of LockBit 3.0 ransomware, disrupting immigration checks and public services. The hackers have since apologised and offered to release the keys to the stolen data. The University Hospital Centre in Zagreb, Croatia, also suffered a cyberattack by LockBit. Despite rising ransomware attacks, a Howden report indicates that global cyber insurance premiums are decreasing as businesses improve their loss mitigation capabilities. Additionally, nearly ten billion unique passwords were leaked in a collection named RockYou2024, heightening risks for users who reuse passwords.

Australia has mandated internet companies to create enforceable codes within six months to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. New Zealand transitioned the Christchurch Call to Action against online terrorist content into an NGO, now funded by tech companies like Meta and Microsoft.

Digital rights

The EUโ€™s proposed law mandating AI scans of messaging app content to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) faces criticism over privacy threats and potential false positives. EU regulators charged Meta with breaching tech rules via a ‘pay or consent’ ad model on Facebook and Instagram, alleging it forced users to consent to data tracking. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) plans a lawsuit against TikTok for alleged children’s privacy violations. Google is accused by European data protection advocacy group NOYB (none of your business) of tracking users without their informed consent through its Privacy Sandbox feature.

Legal

The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged Russian cyberattacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as potential war crimes. In Australia, legal action has been initiated against Medibank for a data breach affecting 9.7 million individuals. ByteDance and TikTok are challenging a US law aiming to ban the app, citing concerns about free speech. Global streaming companies are contesting new Canadian regulations mandating 5% of revenues be used for local news, questioning the legality of the government’s actions.

Internet economy

China’s Ministry of Commerce has introduced draft rules to bolster cross-border e-commerce by promoting the establishment of overseas warehouses and improving data management and export supervision. Nvidia is facing potential charges in France over allegations of anti-competitive behaviour. The first half of 2024 saw a significant surge in cryptocurrency theft, with over USD 1.38 billion stolen by 24 June.

Development

The first part of the Broadband Commissionโ€™s annual State of Broadband report ‘Leveraging AI for Universal Connectivity’ explores AI’s impact on e-government, education, healthcare, finance, and environmental management, and its potential to bridge or widen the digital divide. The second part will provide further insights into AI’s development and propose strategies for equitable digital advancement. India will require USB-C as the standard charging port for smartphones and tablets starting in June 2025, aligning with the EU’s efforts to enhance user convenience and reduce electronic waste.

Sociocultural

New York state lawmakers passed a law limiting social media platforms in displaying addictive algorithmic content to users under 18 without parental consent. The European Commission has asked Amazon for details on how it complies with Digital Services Act rules, focusing on transparency in its recommender systems. Google Translate is significantly expanding, adding 110 languages, driven by AI advancements.

THE TALK OF THE TOWN โ€“ GENEVA

From 4 to 14 June, the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)  made key decisions on space development, green digital action, and global digital cooperation. The council reviewed the ITU Secretary-Generalโ€™s report on the implementation of the Space 2030 Agenda, focusing on leveraging space technology for sustainability. Resolutions were drafted to highlight ITU’s role in using digital technologies for sustainability, with a report on current green digital initiatives. ITU will continue engaging with the Global Digital Compact (GDC) to enhance global digital cooperation.

On 14 June, the first UN Virtual Worlds Day showcased technologies like virtual and augmented reality, the metaverse, and spatial computing to advance SDGs. The event included a high-level segment, real-world applications, discussions on policy, and the launch of the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds โ€“ Discovering the CitiVerse, a platform to develop frameworks, raise awareness, share best practices, and test metaverse solutions in cities.


AI@UN: Navigating the tightrope between innovation and impartiality

The UN is not short on risks, but AI adds novel ones for the organisation. As off-the-shelf AI proprietary systems carry the bias of data and the algorithm on which it is developed and come with limitations and challenges for transparency, reliance on proprietary AI will open inevitable questions about the impartiality of such systems.

Why is impartiality important for the UN? The principle of impartiality is the linchpin of the UNโ€™s credibility, ensuring that policy advice remains objective, grounded in evidence, and sensitive to diverse perspectives. This impartiality will be tested as the UN reacts to the inevitable need to automate reporting, drafting, and other core activities central to its operation. 

Ensuring impartiality would require transparency and explainability of the full AI cycle, from the data on which foundational models are based to assigning weights to different segments of AI systems.

An inclusive approach to AI development is key for upholding the principle of impartiality. We, the peoples, the first three words of the UN Charter,  should guide the development of AI at the UN. Contributions of countries, companies, and communities worldwide to AI@UN could bolster the high potential of AI to support the UNโ€™s missions of upholding global peace, advancing development, and protecting human rights.

AI@UN has two main goals:

  • support policy discussions on the sustainable AI transformation of the UN ecosystem
  • inspire the contributions of AI models and agents by member states and other actors
Emblem of the UN in white on a blue disk superimposed on an AI circuit with connectors radiating outwards from the centred disc.

As a starting point, the following guiding principles are proposed for the development and deployment of AI models, modules, and agents at the UN: 

1. Open source: Abiding by the open-source communityโ€™s principles, traditions, and practices. Openness and transparency should apply to all phases and aspects of the AI life-cycle, including curating data and knowledge for AI systems, selecting parameters and assigning weights to develop foundational models, vector databases, knowledge graphs, and other segments of AI systems. 

2. Modularity: Developing self-contained modules according to shared standards and parameters. AI@UN should start with AI agents and modules for core UN activities and operations.

3. Public good: Walking the talk of public good by using AI to codify UN knowledge as a public good to be used by countries, communities, and citizens worldwide. By doing so, the UN would inspire the AI-enabled codification of various knowledge sources, including ancient texts and oral culture, as the common heritage of humankind.   

4. Inclusivity: Enabling member states, companies, and academia to contribute, by their capacities and resources, to the technical, knowledge, and usability aspects of AI@UN. 

5. Multilingualism: Representing a wide range of linguistic and cultural traditions. A special focus should be on harvesting the knowledge and wisdom available in oral traditions that are not available in the written corpus of books and publications.

6. Diversity: Ensuring inputs from a wide range of professional, generational, cultural, and religious perspectives. While AI@UN should aim to identify convergences between different views and approaches, diversity should not be suppressed by the least common denominator approach inferred in AI. Diversity should be built in through the transparent traceability of sources behind AI-generated outputs. 

7. Accessibility: Adhering to the highest standards for accessibility, in particular for people with disabilities. AI@UN must increase the participation of people with disabilities in UN activities, from meetings to practical projects. Simple solutions and low-bandwidth demand should make the system affordable for all. 

8. Interoperability: Addressing the problem of organisational silos in managing knowledge and data within the UN system. Interoperability should be facilitated by knowledge ontologies and taxonomies, data curation, and shared technical standards.

9. Professionalism: Following the highest industry and ethical standards of planning, coding, and deploying software applications. This will be achieved by testing, evaluating, and submitting AI solutions to a peer-review process. The main focus will be maximising the reliable development of AI solutions to directly impact human lives and well-being. 

10. Explainability: Tracing every AI-generated artefact, such as a report or analysis, to sources used by AI inference, including texts, images and sound recording. Explainability and traceability would ensure transparency and impartiality of AI@UN systems.

11. Protection of data and knowledge: Achieving the highest level in protecting data, knowledge and other inputs into AI systems. 

12. Security: Guaranting the highest possible level of security and reliability of AI@UN. Open source, red-teaming, and other approaches will ensure that the systems are protected by having as many critical eyes as possible to test and evaluate AI code and algorithms. AI communities will be encouraged to contribute to red-teaming and other tests of the AI@UN system.

13. Sustainability: Realisation of SDGs and Agenda 2030 through three main approaches: firstly, ensuring that SDGs receive higher weights in developing AI models and tools; secondly, the AI systems themselves should be sustainable through, for example, sharing the code, building resources, and providing proper documentations and development trails; thirdly, AI solutions should be developed and deployed with environmental sustainability in mind.

14. Capacity: By developing an AI system, the UN should develop its own and wider AI capacities. Capacity development should be: (a) holistic, involving the UN Secretariat, representatives of member states, and other communities involved in UN activities; and (b) comprehensive, covering a wide range of AI capacities from a basic understanding of AI to high-end technical skills. 

15. Future-proofing: Planning and deploying systems dealing with future technological trends. Experience and expertise gathered around AI@UN should be used to deal with other emerging technologies, such as augmented/virtual reality and quantum computing. 

Opportunities in crises. AI transformation will inevitably trigger tensions due to its impact on deeper layers of how the UN functions. Likely opposition based on human fear and attachments to the status quo should be openly addressed and reframed around opportunities that AI transformation will open on individual and institutional levels. 

For instance, AI can help small and developing countries to participate in more informed and impactful ways in the work of the UN. AI can help compensate for the smaller size of their diplomatic missions and services, which must follow the same diplomatic dynamics as larger systems. An emphasis on AI will reduce current AI asymmetry.

AI can also help the UN Secretariat to refocus time and resources and spend less time on traditional paperwork, like preparing reports, to allow more work on the ground in member states where their help is critical.

Next steps. Embarking on this journey towards integrating AI into the UNโ€™s operations is not merely a step but a leap into the future โ€“ one that demands boldness, a cooperative spirit, and an unwavering dedication to the ideals that have anchored the UN since its inception. The potential for AI to bolster the UNโ€™s mission to uphold global peace, advance development, and champion human rights is immense. In fact, the need to adopt an open-source AI framework exceeds the need for technological innovation. The UN will be able to evolve, take the lead, and remain relevant in a rapidly changing global landscape by adopting an open approach to AI.

By leveraging the transformative power of AI, the UN can turn a looming challenge into a watershed moment, ensuring the organisationโ€™s relevance and leadership in charting the course of human progress for all.

This text was adapted from AI@UN: Navigating the tightrope between innovation and impartiality, first published on Diploโ€™s blogroll.

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www.diplomacy.edu

The UN faces the challenge of integrating AI in a way that maintains its impartiality and credibility, advocating for an open-source AI platform contributed to by countries, companies, and citizens to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and adherence to its core principles.


How AI chatbots master language: Insights from Saussureโ€™s linguistics

Linguistics, intertwined with modern technology, prompts questions about how chatbots function and respond articulately to diverse inputs. Chatbots, powered by large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, acquire digital cognition and articulate responses using principles rooted in the linguistic theories of Ferdinand de Saussure.

Saussure’s early 20th-century work laid the groundwork for understanding language through syntax and semantics. Syntax refers to the rules governing the arrangement of words to form meaningful sentences. Saussure saw syntax as a system of conventions within a language community, interlinked with other linguistic elements like semantics. Semantics involves the study of meaning in language. Saussure introduced the concept of the sign, consisting of the signifier (sound/image) and the signified (concept), which is crucial for understanding how LLMs process and interpret word meanings.

Two humanoid robots drawn in cubism style talk as though in conversation.

How LLMs process language. LLMs like ChatGPT process and understand language through several core mechanisms:

  1. Training on vast amounts of textual data from the internet to predict the next word in a sequence
  2. Tokenisation to divide the text into smaller units
  3. Learning relationships between words and phrases for semantic understanding
  4. Using vector representations to recognise similarities and generate contextually relevant responses
  5. Leveraging transformer architecture to efficiently process long contexts and complex linguistic structures

LLMs transform text into tokenised units (signifiers) and map these to embeddings that capture their meanings (signified). The model learns these embeddings by processing vast amounts of text, identifying patterns and relationships analogous to Saussureโ€™s linguistic structures.

Semantics and syntax in LLMs. Understanding and generating text in LLMs involves both semantic and syntactic processing. 

LLMs process semantics through (a) contextual word embeddings that capture word meanings in different contexts based on usage, (b) an attention mechanism to prioritise important words, and (c) layered contextual understanding that handles words that have multiple related meanings (polysemy) and different words with the same meaning (synonymy). The model is pre-trained on general language patterns and fine-tuned on specific datasets for enhanced semantic comprehension. 

For syntax, LLMs use (a) positional encoding to understand word order, (b) attention mechanisms to maintain sentence structure,   (c) layered processing to build complex sentences, and (d) learn probabilistic grammar from large amounts of text. Tokenisation and sequence modelling help track relationships between words, and the transformer model integrates both sentence structure and meaning at each stage, ensuring responses are both meaningful and grammatically correct. Training on diverse datasets further enhances its ability to generalise across various ways of using language, making the chatbot a powerful natural language processing tool.

Integrating Saussureโ€™s linguistic theories with the cognitive mechanisms of large language models illuminates the inner workings of contemporary AI systems and also reinforces the enduring relevance of classical linguistic theories in the age of AI.

This text was adapted from In the beginning was the word, and the word was with the chatbot, and the word was the chatbot, first published on the Digital Watch Observatory.

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Given the profound importance of language and its various disciplines in technological developments, it is crucial to consider how chatbots function as products of advanced technology. Specifically, it contributes to understanding how chatbots learn through algorithmic cognition and how they effectively and accurately respond to diverse user queries reflecting their systems in linguistics studies



Social media giants win in free speech showdown at US Supreme Court

Social media platforms play an imperative role in peopleโ€™s lives, not only in communication but also in receiving and disseminating information. At the same time, some risks may come with social media content, such the possibility of as hate speech, the spread of mis- and disinformation, and harassment. This has raised questions on the liability of social media platforms in regulating such content, as well as the role of governments in taking action. Do social media platforms have free speech rights? Can governments implement policies against social media platforms and their own content policies? The US Supreme Court tackled those questions in its decision in Moody vs. NetChoice and NetChoice, LLC vs. Paxton

NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a coalition of social media companies and internet platforms, challenged the laws of two US states, Florida and Texas. These laws were enacted in 2021 amidst growing Republican party criticism of social media companies’ enforcement of their own policies

NetChoice and CCIA claimed that the Florida and Texas laws violate private companiesโ€™ first amendment rights and that governments should not be allowed to intervene in private companiesโ€™ speech policies. A group of political scientists filed an amicus brief stating that these two laws do not set a threshold as to what they consider to be hate speech and what dangerous and violent election-related speech could prevent social media platforms from moderating threats against election officials. On the other hand, officials from Texas and Florida argue that these laws aim to regulate the liability of social media platforms rather than restrict speech online while stressing that the first amendment does not apply to private businesses. One US federal appeals court invalidated Floridaโ€™s statute, while another upheld the Texas law. However, both laws were suspended pending the US Supreme Court’s final decision.

The hand of a black-robed figure holds a gavel striking its wooden base, on a desk, with the scales of justice in the background.

The supreme court decided that the lower courtsโ€™ decisions were inadequate for free speech rights under the first amendment and that the two laws are unconstitutional. In concluding its decision, the supreme court found that social media platforms are protected by the first amendment when they create content. The supreme court has also ruled that presenting a curated collection of others’ speech counts as expressive activity. 

Essentially, this sets a precedent for setting free speech rights under the first amendment for social media platforms and private businesses in the USA. Namely, US states cannot implement policies restricting their ability to regulate the content disseminated on their platforms. This could prevent governments from enacting laws leading to social media platforms losing their independence in regulating their content.


Governments steam forward with digital antitrust oversight 

In 1996 John Perry Barlow penned โ€˜A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspaceโ€™. This anthology document, which reflected the libertarian internet culture of the time, was a push-back against governmental intervention and regulation of the blooming technology sector. Accordingly, governments around the world adopted a hands-off approach, under the assumption that regulation could stifle innovation. 

Almost three decades later, this understanding has radically changed. In recent years, reports published by several organisations, such as the World Bank, the Internet Society, and UNCTAD have shown a growing concentration of wealth and power in the digital economy. Data divides are particularly relevant in this context, as they lead to concentration upstream, in data-intensive technology sectors, such as AI. Against this backdrop, investigations into the potentially anti-competitive behaviour adopted by tech companies are proliferating.

A human hand holds a magnifying glass over four blocks. The first, third, and fourth blocks have green checkmarks on them. The second has a red triangle with an exclamation point inside of it.

In the EU, recent investigations have led to the first charge brought by the European Commission against a tech company under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law designed to curb Big Techโ€™s dominance and foster fair competition. According to the preliminary findings of an investigation launched in March, Apple would be in violation of the DMA. Apple’s App Store allegedly squeezes out rival marketplaces by making it more difficult for users to download apps from alternative stores, and by not allowing app developers to communicate freely and conclude contracts with their end users. Apple has been given the opportunity to review the preliminary findings, and it can still avoid a fine if it presents a satisfactory proposal to address the problem. 

Other countries are also hardening their laws on competition. The โ€˜Brussels effectโ€™ and the influence of the DMA can be seen in the Digital Competition Bill, proposed by the government of India to complement existing antitrust laws. Similarly to the DMA, the law would target large companies and could introduce similarly heavy fines. In particular, tech giants would be prohibited from exploiting non-public user data and from favouring their own products or services on their platforms. They would also be barred from restricting usersโ€™ ability to download, install, or use third-party apps.

The bill is raising concern among tech companies. A US lobbying group has opposed the move, fearing its impact on business. Inspired by the common belief that dominated the tech sector in the 1990s, technology companies claim that Indiaโ€™s bill could stifle innovation. However, the claim seems unlikely to prosper. 

Concerns about tech sector competition are rising in the USA, traditionally an advocate for minimal regulation. The USA is tightening AI industry controls, with the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dividing oversight: the FTC will regulate OpenAI and Microsoft, while the DOJ oversees Nvidia. Although less active than the EU in antitrust regulation, the US closely monitors mergers and acquisitions. This recent agreement between the two governmental bodies paved the way for antitrust investigations to be launched.

Competition is increasingly becoming a playing field with significant โ€‹governmental activity and oversight. As countries re-assert their jurisdiction, claims of cyber independence seem a distant echo from the past.


DW Weekly #167 โ€“ 5 July 2024

 Page, Text

Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

โ€˜We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!โ€™ Japanโ€™s Minister for Digital Transformation, Taro Kono cheerfully announced a few days ago. That sentence may make you think โ€˜Good riddance!โ€™ or โ€˜Oh wow, I haven’t used one of those in agesโ€™ (if you’re not Japanese). Or it might make you think: โ€˜Whatโ€™s a floppy disk?โ€™

A floppy disk, or just floppy, is a flexible removable magnetic disk (typically encased in a plastic envelope or a hard plastic shell) for storing data. Hereโ€™s the kicker: floppies can only hold between 800 KB and 2.8 MB of data, with 1.44 MB being the standard. 

Until recently, they were very much used in Japanese admin. However, two years ago, Kono declared war on floppies. He vowed that the digital agency where he is in charge will change over 1,000 government procedures that require the use of floppies so that online services can be used instead. So they did it, and they โ€˜won the warโ€™.

But why were floppies in use in Japan until recently? Various explanations have been posited, from the conservative nature of bureaucracy to the floppyโ€™s reliability. Not only does physical media offer a higher degree of authenticity of information, but floppies almost never break or lose data. Maybe it can all be summed up as: If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

The next frontier? Fax machines, Kono said at a conference in June

Drawing of Japanโ€™s Minister for Digital Transformation Taro Kono standing in front of a large red circle, smiling and holding up a paper decree in front of multiple microphones. At the side is a yellow garbage container overflowing with floppy disks.

In other news, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) report shows China leads in AI patents, though US firms dominate in advanced AI systems. In another major event, 10 billion passwords were leaked in the largest publication of a compilation of passwords to date.

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 28 June-5 July 2024

united nations headquarters in new york city

The SDOs argue that these proposals promote centralisation, which they believe would harm the internet and global economies and societies.

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The non-binding resolution, initiated by China and co-sponsored by several other countries, seeks to foster international cooperation and urge organisations and financial institutions to support this cause.

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Over the past decade, 54,000 GenAI inventions were recorded, with a significant surge occurring in the last year. China contributed over 38,200 patents, compared to nearly 6,300 from the USA.

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The EU is far behind its 2030 AI targets, with only 11% of firms using AI. Optimistic leaders call for more investments, cooperation, and a completed Digital Single Market.

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AI integration in Japan’s defence aims at combat speed and operational efficiency.

Apple

Apple plans to integrate ChatGPT into its devices, aiming to boost AI capabilities and meet consumer demand.

gpu chipset workforce

The programme is part of a broader $39 billion effort to enhance US chipmaking capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

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The initiative, which includes considerations for ethics and safety, aims to unify Chinese research efforts and position the country as a leader in international BCI standards.

massive password leak

The RockYou2024 data will be included in Cybernewsโ€™ Leaked Password Checker to help users identify if their credentials were compromised.

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Authorities have been notified, and a criminal investigation is underway.

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The incident compromised the personal data of customers, including sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers and medical records, with unauthorised activity traced back to late October 2023.

law and justice in united states of america

The justices unanimously overturned lower court decisions due to inadequate consideration of First Amendment implications and directed further analysis.

japan banknotes

Despite the rise in cashless transactions, cash remains significant, and the redesign aims to stimulate consumer spending and productivity amid inflationary pressures.



ICYMI

What is digital immortality? And (how) can it be achieved? Watch to find out!


Upcoming

8N6ikeWA un flag blue

The UN OEWG 2021-2025 8th substantive session will focus on adopting the group’s annual progress report (APR), taking stock of the group’s discussions on threats to information security, rules, norms, and principles of responsible behaviour of states, international law, confidence-building measures (CBMs), capacity building efforts, and a regular open-ended institutional dialogue under the auspices of the UN.

hlpf

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2024 will take place from 8 to 17 July under the theme โ€˜Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutionsโ€™.ย 

DW Weekly #166 โ€“ 28 June 2024

 Page, Text

Dear readers, 

Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly! 

In 2022, a team of Japanese scientists invented a dermis or skin equivalent, a living layer composed of cells and an extracellular matrix, in an attempt to cover the robotsโ€™ outer layer to make them look more human. Now, they are pushing forward with another invention: a way to wrap that dermis equivalent seamlessly onto the rigid surfaces of a robot.

These perforation-type anchors were inspired by the structure of skin ligaments. The researchers constructed a robotic face covered with dermis equivalent and a silicone layer. They then used perforation-type anchors to move the silicone around the corners of the robotโ€™s mouth and, ultimately, to make a robot smile.

 Baby, Person, Face, Head, Furniture, Piggy Bank, Marie Laurencin
Image credit: Kawai et al., Perforation-type anchors inspired by skin ligament for robotic face covered with living skin, Cell Reports Physical Science

The skin equivalentโ€™s primary advantage, researchers say, is that it is capable of self-healing. It can regenerate missing skin through cellular proliferation without any triggers. Researchers tested this previously, in 2022, on a robotic finger but have not tested it since the invention of perforation-type anchors. They noted that โ€˜the facial shape, with its intricate unevenness, differs significantly from the simpler, convex shape of a fingerโ€™. However, the researchers acknowledged that is a future challenge.

The fun part? The research might be of use to humans in the future: Researchers will study how the face moves to ensure the skin equivalent is applied with sufficient thickness over a robotโ€™s face. As forming expressions such as smiles is closely linked to the development of wrinkles, researchers expect that the knowledge they gain about wrinkle formation could find applications in the cosmetics and orthopaedic surgery industries.

During this process, researchers controlled mechanical actuators beneath the dermis equivalent. The scientists note that replacing mechanical actuators with cultured muscle tissue could advance the understanding of emotions and aid treatments like facial paralysis surgery.

We can expect that while it looks quite unsettling now, the skin-equivalent-covered robot is bound to look better, more realistic, and even more akin to humans.

 Book, Comics, Publication, Person, Adult, Female, Woman, Face, Head

Monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Islam hold that God made man in his image. Christianity, in particular, holds that God is a benevolent creator who loves his creations. One might ask: Are humans determined to play God with robots?

Andrijana and the Digital Watch team


Highlights from the week of 21-28 June 2024

apple 1839363 1280

Criticism also arose over Apple’s delay in launching AI-powered features in the EU, citing DMA compliance issues.

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Microsoft has indicated its willingness to collaborate with EU regulators to find solutions.

wikileaks

US authorities have pursued Assange since 2010 following WikiLeaks’ significant disclosure of confidential files.

closeup male hand holding smartphone with blank screen background blurred flag india

India is set to mandate USB-C as the standard charging port for smartphones and tablets from June 2025, aligning with the EU’s efforts to enhance user convenience and reduce electronic waste.

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Hackers using a variant of LockBit 3.0 ransomware have disrupted Indonesia’s national data centre, affecting immigration checks and over 200 public services, with the government refusing to pay the $8 million ransom demand.

eu flags in front of european commission

Tech companies like WhatsApp, privacy advocates, legal and security experts, and numerous EU lawmakers argue the plan threatens privacy and encryption, potentially leading to mass surveillance.

flag of usa and china on cracked concrete wall background

The regulations initially target China, Macau, and Hong Kong, with possible expansion to other regions and include various exceptions to address national interest and existing commitments.

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The company expands its AI chip offering to the Middle East through a new partnership with Qatar’s Ooredoo amid US export restrictions.

circuit board and ai micro processor artificial intelligence of digital human 3d render

Manufacturing will be outsourced to Taiwan’s TSMC, although production is expected to start later this year.

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The decline signifies a lack of organic demand, with most current transactions stemming from banks disbursing benefits to employees.



Upcoming

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The event is aimed at identifying expectations (if any) from the concluding session of the Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes. It will highlight the elements that define a positive outcome of this process, based on the insights of different experts and stakeholders.