Tech leaders at the World Economic Forum 2024’s Davos summit share what’s next for digital worlds and what stamping out misinformation ahead of elections could entail.
Euronews is currently at the World Economic Forum’s 54th Annual Meeting, taking place in Davos, Switzerland this week. At a tech panel attended by some of the biggest tech company CEOs in the world, Meta and other companies discussed the next steps for digital worlds.
This included more examples of use for artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse, as well as further plans for these technologies, including using AI more for youth education, staff training and sharing experiences in the virtual world.
AI can personalise and automate training and education material
AI can be used to significantly improve learning and development material for education and training, mainly by generating material and customising learning experiences. It can also be used to offer smart tutoring, as well as personalised growth maps.
Not only that, but more efficient chatbots, as well as a wider and more diverse range of translated learning material can also be included with AI. Staff can receive in-depth performance reviews and, in some cases, AI can also automate a range of administrative tasks.
AI is also vital for sharing experiences in the virtual world, by constantly improving models based on real-world data, to create a more authentic and immersive experience for users. Artificial intelligence also helps better data processing, user interaction, avatar construction and chatbots, among several other features.
Rapidly advancing AI poses data protection and misinformation threats
However, regulators also pointed out concerns about how these rapid tech advancements have increased privacy issues for consumers. As such, company data protection and privacy laws cannot follow a “one size fits all” approach anymore, as shown by the rise of personal information theft and cyber attacks recently.
Some of the world’s most prominent companies that have faced cyber attacks during the past few years include Twitter and Luxottica Group.
Another very important point discussed by the panel was how major tech companies such as Meta planned to help reduce misinformation about upcoming elections, across all their platforms.
As already seen during the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, AI has been used for widespread misinformation, such as deepfake images twisting the narrative of events, as well as attempts to manipulate stock markets and democratic processes.
This has led to an increasing fear that it may also be used to manipulate upcoming elections, with savvier technology and fewer traces of data tampering. There is also a rising risk of misinformation being used to launch fake smear campaigns against candidates, which could cause significant damage to their reputation and chances of winning.
Panel member Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chair of S4Capital told Euronews’ Angela Barnes that tech companies may potentially have their work cut out for them, when it comes to curbing electoral misinformation.
“Something like four billion people are going to the polls and I think there are 70 countries involved. So it’s going to be super tough. But the answer is, I think, self-regulation, and the platforms are going to have to spend a lot of time and effort on making sure that electorates are protected, but that of course, is easier said than done. So, a tough one.”
Video editor • Joanna Adhem
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