IGF Daily Summary
for Tuesday, 17 December 2024
Dear readers,
Welcome to our third daily summary of IGF 2024 discussions! Among the 60 sessions we reported from yesterday, we identified several overarching trends. First is the diversity of topics covered, from frontiers of space technology to using AI for agriculture and disaster management, and the need for a truly multilingual internet, to name just a few. This reflects the profound impact of digitalisation and AI on society.
Second, many discussions were framed around the opportunities and risks associated with AI and digital developments. These dilemmas are becoming increasingly tangible, and initiatives such as the EU AI Act try to contain AI risks while fostering technological innovation.
Third, a recurring theme was a dichotomy between national and global approaches to AI and digital governance, frequently mentioned in the context of tech sovereignty and data localisation.
Diplo’s three events held yesterday reflected our commitment to ‘walking the talk’ on AI and digital governance. In the morning, we demonstrated the practical use of AI for IGF reporting and introduced a ‘knowledge ecology’ project aimed at leveraging AI to activate knowledge generated at the IGF over the past 19 years. In the afternoon, we discussed the philosophy of AI, exploring questions of human identity, agency, and consciousness. A session on our publication dedicated to unpacking the Global Digital Compact (GDC) exemplified Diplo’s way of addressing pressing policy issues quickly, comprehensively, and thoroughly.
Below, you’ll find a more detailed summary of the discussions to help you prepare for the final two days of IGF 2024.
Please let us know your comments and suggestions at digitalwatch@diplomacy.edu!
The Digital Watch team, with support from DiploAI
| Summary of discussions |
Digital divide and meaningful connectivity
The persistent digital divide remained at the forefront of discussions. The main session of the Policy Network on Meaningful Access highlighted the importance of not just access, but meaningful connectivity, defined as ‘the possibility for everyone to enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive online experience at an affordable cost’. The session explored various strategies for improving access and digital inclusion, including public-private partnerships and innovative technologies for rural connectivity. Speakers highlighted the need for robust data collection to measure progress, with ITU statistics showing 67% global internet usage but persistent affordability issues in many countries.
In a related discussion on digital technologies for inclusive development, questions were raised about how digital technologies can benefit everyone equally and inclusively. Diverse perspectives were brought up on leveraging digital tools for sustainable development and addressing inequalities, with a particular emphasis on applications in agriculture, education, and cultural preservation.
One size does not fit all when it comes to addressing digital divides and advancing digital development. Local realities, challenges, and needs have to be carefully considered in any policy and technical interventions; tailored solutions and approaches are needed, in particular for developing and least-developed economies.
A key focus was on expanding connectivity to underserved areas. Speakers emphasised the need for infrastructure investment in rural regions. Innovative solutions like unlicensed spectrum and non-terrestrial networks were proposed to connect remote communities. The session on low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites explored how this technology could provide internet access to areas lacking terrestrial infrastructure, though challenges around regulation and environmental impact were noted.
Discussions also underscored the critical need to protect internet access and infrastructure as essential resources for civilian populations, especially during conflicts and crises. The good news is, that there are already international frameworks for protecting internet infrastructure in place, for instance, the UN GGE norm 6 (do not damage critical infrastructure), that can be applied. However, effectively implementing such international norms remains challenging. Another open issue is how to balance legitimate security concerns with maintaining internet access.
Gender disparities in internet access received significant attention. Statistics show that women represent only 19% of entry-level and 10% of executive-level positions in tech, and speakers called for targeted initiatives to increase women’s participation, including mentorship programs and addressing cultural barriers. Capacity development and digital skills development were emphasised across sessions as crucial for meaningful access.
AI governance and interoperability
Using AI to make IGF knowledge accessible
Over the past 19 IGF iterations, a wealth of knowledge has been generated through countless panel discussions and exchanges among policymakers, NGOs, private actors, academics, researchers, and others. Until now, much of this knowledge has existed only in participants’ memories or stored in transcripts, reports, and video files. Diplo has been working to unlock this rich repository of knowledge through the effective use of AI.
The IGF knowledge ecology project uses a range of AI technologies, including large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAGs), knowledge graphs, and relational databases. As discussed during the session, the main challenge has been ensuring data quality in the transcripts generated during previous IGG meetings. Addressing this required a substantial data-cleaning effort, through a combination of automated AI tools and human analysis.
Diplo also provided an update on the project’s next phase, which will focus on completing data analysis, developing AI models, and combining various AI technologies into an operational system.
The governance of AI remained a central topic, with discussions focusing on the need for interoperable and inclusive approaches. A workshop on interoperability of AI governance explored the scope and potential mechanisms for creating more aligned and coordinated approaches to governing AI internationally. Speakers emphasised the importance of a broad understanding of AI interoperability, encompassing technical, legal, semantic, and policy dimensions.
The main session on the Policy Network on Artificial Intelligence further delved into the challenges of AI governance, highlighting issues such as liability, environmental sustainability, and labour implications. The discussion underscored the need for global cooperation and inclusive governance frameworks that consider diverse cultural contexts and address the potential risks associated with AI deployment.
A gift from Diplo: An AI assistant to explore the report developed by the IGF’s Policy Network on AI
Yesterday, Diplo’s Sorina Teleanu moderated the main session of the IGF Policy Network on AI (PNAI). Over the past year, the PNAI worked on a policy report providing insights and recommendations on four AI-governance-related issues: liability, environmental sustainability, AI-related labour issues, and legal, technical, and data interoperability. To facilitate the exploration of the report, Diplo has developed a dedicated AI assistant. We invite you to interact with the assistant and consider how its recommendations could be taken further. We are confident that colleagues at PNAI would welcome your reflections.
The session on AI governance for children’s global citizenship education highlighted the need for child-centred approaches in AI development, emphasising safety, privacy, and educational benefits. A safety by the design approach to developing AI platforms came into focus during a parliamentary debate. Balancing national sovereignty concerns with the need for global approaches is a key tension in addressing AI problems, such as harmonising risk categorisation and liability frameworks across jurisdictions.
The EU AI Act came into focus as the first comprehensive regulation of AI. In a poll conducted during a session, a slight majority (55%) of participants thought that the EU AI Act would become a new global regulatory standard (similar to how the GDPR influenced data regulations worldwide). As the act moves into implementation, the underlying question will be whether it manages to strike the right balance between enabling innovation and containing risks.
What does it mean to be human in the AI era? And other questions to reflect on …
During the past few days at the IGF, the most frequent term used across the sessions we have reported from was – you guessed it – AI. Discussions have revolved around topics such as AI governance, AI divides and inequalities, transparency, ethics, responsibility, safety, testing and evaluation, and many, many more. At Diplo, we wanted to go a bit beyond these issues and look at some broader, perhaps more philosophical questions about AI that we may want to spend a little more time on in our debates on AI. And so we hosted a session which was mostly about asking questions. We’d like to repeat some of these questions here and invite you, our readers, to take your time and reflect on them:
- What do we talk about when we talk about AI ‘understanding’, ‘reasoning’, etc.? How accurate and useful is it to assign human attributes to machines?
- More and more content is AI-generated. What happens when AI is trained on AI-generated data?
- How will human-machine co-generated language evolve, now depending less on contexts but on tokens associated with probabilities? Five or ten years from now, will we all sound like ChatGPT?
- What do we want from AI?
- How do we interact with AI? To what extent are we aware of these interactions? How much of these interactions involve informed choices? How much of our agency do we preserve in interactions with AI?
- Is AI having an impact on how we interact with / relate to each other?
- Is AI making choices for us? Should it?
- In a world driven by economic growth and efficiency, can humans compete with machines? Should they? Should we advocate for a right to be humanly imperfect?
- And what does it mean to be human in the AI era?
Are there any other questions you would like to see explored more carefully in AI policy and governance debates? Send us your suggestions and reflections at digwatch@diplomacy.edu.
Data governance and cross-border data flows
Getting the right interplay between data localisation and cross-border flow of data came in the focus of discussion on data governance in Africa as well as in the debate on US international data policy. A debate on the concept of digital sovereignty brought into focus the question of achieving a delicate balance between accounting for national security considerations, fostering the growth of local data economies, and enabling cross-border data flows as a key component of a global digital economy. The challenges of ‘digital colonialism’ were also addressed, with calls for empowering local digital ecosystems and promoting data sovereignty.
Cybersecurity and online safety
Cybersecurity discussions focused on both national and individual-level protections. The session on challenges of cyberdefense in developing economies highlighted the unique challenges faced by developing countries in building cyber resilience, including resource constraints, and skill gaps. Panelists recommended the importance of enforcing existing laws and building capacity, rather than hastily creating new policies. The panel also recognised the need for tailored approaches that consider the specific contexts and needs of developing nations.
Moving forward, the focus should be on implementing existing frameworks, building human capacity, and fostering sustainable, locally-driven cybersecurity strategies that prioritise preparation, skill development, and practical, incremental improvements.
In resource-constrained environments, AI can bring immense opportunities for improving cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security. AI enhances threat detection, automates data analysis, and addresses language barriers, making solutions more accessible. A unique advantage that AI has is in overcoming language barriers, as AI could make cybersecurity solutions available in multiple languages, thereby increasing accessibility for developing countries. However, AI systems also face risks such as adversarial attacks, data poisoning, and privacy vulnerabilities. Additionally, AI-driven security must balance technical advancements with ethical considerations.
The idea of building universal standards for digital infrastructure resilience was also explored, with speakers agreeing that such universal standards should be flexible enough to be adapted to different contexts. Several issues remained unresolved, including how to develop standards that remain current given rapid technological changes, how to address economic and technological disparities between countries in implementing standards, and how to establish common definitions and language around digital infrastructure resilience.
The importance of cyber diplomacy for the Middle East and African regions was also discussed. The Middle East’s engagement in cyber diplomacy was initially minimal, particularly within the context of UN cybersecurity governance. However, significant change occurred with the advent of the UN Cybercrime Convention, which resonated more with Middle Eastern countries due to their history of regional cybercrime laws. This shift led to more active participation in global cyber diplomacy, especially in the later stages of negotiations. Looking ahead, there is an expectation that Middle Eastern states will continue to use cyber diplomacy as a form of soft power, integrating cybersecurity discussions into major geopolitical forums such as the Doha Forum in Qatar and the Manama Dialogues in Bahrain.
The participation of African countries in international cyber negotiations is quite low. However, participation can be a small investment – processes have made an effort for teleconferencing to be a standard part of engaging. Opportunities for Africa in cyber diplomacy include leveraging emerging technologies, strengthening regional cooperation, and developing norms and standards for cybersecurity. Recommendations for advancing cyber diplomacy in Africa include investing in national cybersecurity strategies, fostering international collaboration, and improving public-private partnerships.
We tend to overprotect children in the offline world, and we underprotect them in the virtual world, it was underlined. Speakers advocated for a multistakeholder approach to child safety online involving governments, tech companies, educators, parents, and children themselves. The inclusion of children’s perspectives in the development of safety features and policies was identified as a vital component. Education emerged as a central theme, with experts calling for media literacy programs in schools.
However, there should be a balance between the protection of children and their privacy online. Another challenge is addressing online safety for children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, who have varying levels of vulnerability to online risks. Some of the solutions suggested include implementing safety by design – embedding safety measures into products from the outset, updating laws to address online violence, and strengthening social services for at-risk children.
Content moderation
The complexities of content moderation at a global scale were explored in sessions like Strengthening content moderation through expert input. Speakers discussed the challenges of developing culturally sensitive moderation policies and the role of external experts in shaping platform governance.
The challenges of moderating online content across different languages and cultures were emphasised, with speakers acknowledging the difficulties in addressing context-specific issues on a global scale. The discussion also touched on the potential role of AI in content moderation, while recognising the ethical implications and potential biases of such systems.
Disinformation remained a pressing concern, with speakers in various sessions highlighting its potential to undermine democratic processes and social cohesion. The need for digital literacy programmes and critical thinking skills was emphasised as a crucial component in combating disinformation, alongside technological solutions and policy interventions.
Questions remain open, however, on how to effectively regulate smaller platforms, address challenges of end-to-end encryption for content moderation, and harmonise content regulation approaches globally given differing laws across jurisdictions.
Internet governance and digital cooperation
Debates on the implementation and follow-up activities related to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes and the GDC continued during Day 2. On the GDC front, some of the raised issues included the importance of stakeholder partnerships and collaboration when it comes to transposing GDC commitments and calls into real action, the need to allocate sufficient resources to follow-up activities, the complementarity between the GDC and existing frameworks like WSIS and the need to ensure alignment between them were among the issues raised.
WSIS-related debates underscored both achievements and challenges in the implementation of WSIS action lines and in the broader internet governance space. A message we have heard in previous days was reiterated: The multistakeholder model of governance promoted during WSIS has proved successful and it needs to be preserved and strengthened. There were also voices arguing for a balanced approach to digital governance, combining multistakeholder engagement with more active government participation in digital governance.
Some of the challenges highlighted during the discussions included internet fragmentation, the persistent digital divide, cybersecurity threats, and misinformation; addressing these and similar issues remains essential if we are to have a truly inclusive, open, and secure internet and digital space for all. There were also concerns about the influence and power of large tech companies and the need for more effective international collaboration to hold them accountable.
The IGF itself was also talked about yesterday. Key takeaways from these discussions include a call to strengthen the IGF’s role and impact, an emphasis on the need to improve its financial sustainability, and suggestions that the forum could (and should) serve as a vehicle for facilitating the implementation of the GDC.
The need to better understand the local and regional digital realities and challenges and take them into account in global digital governance and cooperation processes was highlighted several times. There were also calls for promoting cross-regional collaboration and alignment in addressing digital challenges, strengthening regional coordination and representation in global debates, and addressing capacity constraints in developing countries.
Multiple discussions underscored the complex and interconnected nature of digital issues, highlighting the need for continued dialogue, collaboration, and innovative governance and cooperation approaches to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly evolving digital landscape.es, aiding disaster response, and helping with climate prediction and resource mobilisation.
Unpacking the Global Digital Compact
Yesterday was a busy day for our team in Riyadh. But we could not have missed the opportunity to get together with Diplo friends and alumni on-site, so it was our pleasure to welcome them to a mixed formal-informal gathering, where we also presented our most recent publication: Unpacking the Global Digital Compact: Actors, Issues and Processes, by Sorina Teleanu.
The publication provides a detailed account of the GDC negotiations over the 18-month-long process, tracking and analysing changes across different versions of GDC drafts. It presents a unique interplay between zooming in on specific provisions, sometimes on the edge of linguistic pedantry, and zooming out to provide a broader perspective on digital governance and cooperation. The publication also places the GDC in the broader context of global digital governance and cooperation mechanisms, and offers a set of questions to reflect on as stakeholders explore the interplay between GDC, WSIS, and Agenda 2030 processes, implementation, and follow-up.
Digital economy, sustainable development, and environment
The topic of digital transformation continues to be a central focus of discussions at IGF 2024, with a key theme being the need for digital transformation processes to be inclusive and bring benefits to all segments of society. Digital technologies can promote inclusive development across various sectors, from agriculture to cultural preservation, but this can only happen if the proper infrastructure is in place. Addressing infrastructure gaps, particularly in rural and marginalised areas, is required to ensure equitable access to digital opportunities.
The role of data in driving economic growth was also explored. A discussion on data governance and sharing in Africa emphasised the need to harmonise data policies across the continent to facilitate economic growth and innovation. Also highlighted was the importance of cross-border data flows, particularly in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The concept of ‘citizen data’ was looked at in a dedicated session, where participants highlighted how citizen-generated data can help identify and address systemic biases and inequalities in the digital space, particularly for marginalised groups.
Sustainability and environmental considerations in the digital realm were prominent themes in several discussions. The application of digital technologies to environmental monitoring and sustainable resource management was highlighted, and examples were presented of how Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and big data can support sustainable agriculture and environmental monitoring, contributing to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The energy demands of AI systems and data centres were also discussed as a growing environmental concern. There was a call for an interoperable global approach to AI sustainability, stressing the importance of measuring, tracking, and incentivising better energy and water use in data centres, chips, and algorithms.
In a session on satellite technology, environmental impacts and space sustainability emerged as significant concerns in the context of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology. Participants also raised issues around space debris, satellite de-orbiting, and the impact of LEO satellites on astronomy. And speaking of outer space and sustainability, a point was raised in the PNAI main session about the growing attention given to the exploitation of space resources such as minerals used in the development of certain digital technologies: Which actors stand to benefit the most from such possibilities, and how about the notion of equitable access to outer space resources?
Thought-provoking ideas
- Suggestions for future work to be carried out within the IGF: Consider the launch of an IGF best practice forum to explore options and next steps in the implementation of GDC commitments related to internet shutdowns.
- Protection of submarine cables: Create a UN cable-laying fleet to assist in infrastructure rebuilding efforts.
- Regulation and innovation: Nothing will stifle innovation more than a patchwork of onerous and sometimes conflicting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
- Regulation and enforcement: The solution to digital challenges is not more legislation. What hasn’t worked is effective enforcement of the laws in place and that’s where we have actually failed. So essentially what we need is more effective enforcement of the laws by regulators and other mechanisms whereby laws can be enforced rather than thinking about more legislation.
- Technology as a solution: If you think technology will solve all your problems, then you do not understand technology and you do not understand your problem.
Numbers and statistics
- 79% of teenagers are concerned about AI’s impact on job prospects, according to research presented by UNICEF.
- 50 features and tools have been implemented by Meta to address risks for young users.
- 10% increase in internet penetration could yield up to an 8.2% increase in GDP per capita, higlighting the economic importance of connectivity.
- 67% of the world’s population uses the internet and 96% is covered by mobile broadband networks, according to ITU statistics.
- 2/3 of African countries have data protection legislation in place, with the Malabo Convention serving as a key continental instrument for data protection.
- 21% more men are likely to be online than women, highlighting the persistent gender digital divide.
| Join us today! |
A kind reminder to join Diplo’s and GIP’s sessions and gatherings today:
- WS #190 Securing critical infrastructure in cyber: Who and how? | 13:35-15:15 (Workshop Room 4)
- WS #266 Empowering Civil Society: Bridging Gaps in Policy Influence | 15:30 – 16:30 (Workshop Room 4)
If you’re joining the meeting online, check out our space in the virtual village.
If you’re attending the IGF in Riyadh, make sure to drop by our Diplo and GIP booth, numbered U-21.
Do you like what you’re reading? Bookmark us at https://dig.watch/event/internet-governance-forum-2024 and tweet us @DigWatchWorld
Have you heard something new during the discussions, but we’ve missed it? Send us your suggestions at digitalwatch@diplomacy.edu.
