AI, Harmful Information and the Future of Humanitarian Trust

  • © Albert Masias/MSF
    © Albert Masias/MSF

AI is changing the way we engage online at lightning speed, with information ecosystems rapidly evolving. The medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) routinely faces harmful narratives on social media, propagated by AI, that put the delivery of life-saving medical aid and healthcare services to communities in crises at risk. 

In this session, MSF will present recent cases of manipulation and amplification of harmful, anti-humanitarian narratives; explore how poorly regulated AI tools could risk amplifying manipulated narratives and generating harmful imagery; and weigh in on the urgent need for safety mechanisms around healthcare, conflict, and humanitarian emergencies.

NADEL at ETH Zurich will provide perspective, both in terms of the multiplying effect of AI on the scale and speed of the spread of harmful information and will point to some research being done using AI to better understand and cope with misinformation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The session will outline proactive measures taken to educate staff, build resilience, and protect humanitarian organisations' fundamental ability to bear witness to humanitarian crises. It will also challenge how far the humanitarian sector can go to build and protect trust in humanitarian institutions, currently under threat by unregulated AI technology.
 

 

Guests:

Moderation: Sitara Jabeen, Philanthropy Diversification Lead, Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) 

 

When: Thursday 9 July - 2pm to 2.45pm 

 

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