"Platforms have power. But this power is not unchecked. Governments have an important role to play in protecting their citizens' rights vis-à-vis third parties and ensuring a communication order in which rights are not violated. (And in addition, of course, they need to respect human rights themsel
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ves and not arbitrarily shut down sites or use their power to make the Internet less free and open). As leader of working group 2 it is my distinct privilege to present this collection which unites studies by researchers within the Global Digital Human Rights Networks on issues connected to the overarching question of how platforms deal with human rights and their human rights obligations. This study is a key deliverable of our working group in the second year of the Global Digital Human Rights Network's activities. We will follow-up with Guidelines for platforms and an Assessment Model for states and other stakeholders in 2024. We developed this study under Corona conditions but were able to meet in the Tyrolean Alps in Obergurgl, Austria, in July 2022 to finalize this study." (Preface, page 7)
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"This report is intended to provide a broad review of the use and emerging governance of AI technology in Southern Africa. It aims at initiating public discussions and policy dialogue not only on the technological implications of the use of AI, but also on the social, political, and ethical signific
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ance and consequences of it. Through this report, UNESCO’s objective is also to provide the evidence that AI technologies are already being used in many domains and sectors in Southern Africa, thus countering the narrative that the ethics of AI is still premature to be discussed and taken seriously by the local actors in the region. The analysis comprises four parts that, read together, present a review of key policies, use cases, risks and opportunities for the design, development, governance and usage of responsible AI in the region. These are: (i) AI Regulatory and Policy Mapping; (ii) Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Applications; (iii) Ethical Risk of AI Use (derived from the findings in the policy mapping and use case analysis); and (iv) Key Opportunities and Recommendations." (Introduction)
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"Hivos sees vital opportunities to support creatives and build alternative digital spaces and activist communities that will stand up to the digital monoculture. They are essential if we want to imagine and work towards a more humane and sustainable digital future. In 'Counter the Digital Monocultur
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e', the team interviews seven future-oriented activists, artists and academics to answer the question 'How can we counter the digital monoculture?' The interviews cover a wide range of topics, from indigenous futurism to afro-feminism, speculative storytelling, and the need for a fossil-free internet. A recurring theme is the importance of amplifying the work of activists, artists, and filmmakers to reach wide audiences with narratives that focus on humane digital futures." (Publisher description)
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"This paper is the second in a series of three papers that explore the relationship between women in Africa today and Artificial Intelligence. In it, the authors explore the threats and benefits Artificial Intelligence brings to African women in different sectors; what it means to be an African woma
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n today from a pre-colonial, colonial, and postcolonial lens and how the intersection of various forces of production and society give insight into the ways African women's lives are currently being and will continue to be impacted by this technology." (Executive summary)
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"Artificial intelligence (AI) is presented as a solution to the greatest challenges of our time, from global pandemics and chronic diseases to cybersecurity threats and the climate crisis. But AI also contributes to the climate crisis by running on technology that depletes scarce resources and by re
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lying on data centres that demand excessive energy use. Is AI Good for the Planet? brings the climate crisis to the centre of debates around AI, exposing its environmental costs and forcing us to reconsider our understanding of the technology. It reveals why we should no longer ignore the environmental problems generated by AI. Embracing a green agenda for AI that puts the climate crisis at centre stage is our urgent priority." (Publisher description)
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"Wie wahren wir die Menschen-, Grund- und Bürgerrechte? Und wie können wir unsere Werte für die Gestaltung disruptiver Innovationen und der digitalen Zukunft nutzen? Die Autor*innen aus Politik, Wissenschaft und Praxis zeigen auf, wie technologische Phänomene mit unseren Werten in Einklang gebra
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cht werden können und diskutieren normative Impulse und Ideen für die Regelung des Gemeinwohls in der digitalen Welt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Just as in the global context, new tools are being used by the media in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ALI/ML) is not limited to large, corporate media. But the reality of different news organisations with a variety of bu
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dgets and markets can vary deeply. In Latin America, only a handful of media organisations are embracing AI or machine learning in house, most notably in Argentina, Perú and México and none as part of a long term effort to embrace the technology. While most of the news organisations consulted are using some sort of AI implementation through vendors or third party solutions and there is strong appetite for more it is rarely part of a strategic vision. In CEE, digital natives are embracing AI/ML solutions and the region has been produced a few AI/ML based third party solution providers with global reach or ambitions. Competition for talent is a major bottleneck, as media have to compete with the global outsourcing of IT jobs to the region. The other challenge is state pressure on media, especially in such markets as Russia or Belarus, which makes long-term planning and investment impractical." (Key findings, page 5)
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"Es geht in diesem Band um die Fokussierung, Ethik und Religion als Teil von gesellschaftlichen Phänomenen zu verstehen, die insbesondere hinsichtlich Wirtschaft und Politik zu untersuchen sind. Da sich Gesellschaft heutzutage jedoch nicht mehr ohne Digitalisierung analysieren lässt, tritt für di
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e Bereiche von Religion, Politik und Wirtschaft die Bedeutung von Technik in den Blick. So ergeben sich für den Sammelband vier Schwerpunkte: erstens Analysen, die sich mit ethischer Theoriebildung im Bereich des Digitalen beschäftigen, zweitens ethische Fragen bei der Gestaltung von Wirtschaft, Technik und Medien angesichts der digitalen Möglichkeiten, drittens Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf Kirche und Religion und viertens die Herausforderungen durch die digitale Technisierung für menschliches Selbstverständnis. Dabei fokussiert der Band auf christliche Theologie und Kirche, wobei für zukünftige Untersuchungen eine interreligiöse Perspektive bzw. komparative Vorgehensweise auch von Nöten ist." (Seite 10)
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"In the debate on how to improve efficiencies in the humanitarian sector and better meet people’s needs, the argument for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADMs) systems has gained significant traction and ignited controversy for its ethical and human rights-re
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lated implications. Setting aside the implications of introducing unmanned and automated systems in warfare, we focus instead on the impact of the adoption of AI-based ADMs in humanitarian response. In order to maintain the status and protection conferred by the humanitarian mandate, aid organizations are called to abide by a broad set of rules condensed in the humanitarian principles and notably the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. But how do these principles operate when decision-making is automated? This article opens with an overview of AI and ADMs in the humanitarian sector, with special attention to the concept of algorithmic opacity. It then explores the transformative potential of these systems on the complex power dynamics between humanitarians, principled assistance, and affected communities during acute crises. Our research confirms that the existing flaws in accountability and epistemic processes can be also found in the mathematical and statistical formulas and in the algorithms used for automation, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and other efficiency-gaining-related processes. In doing so, our analysis highlights the potential harm to people resulting from algorithmic opacity, either through removal or obfuscation of the causal connection between triggering events and humanitarian services through the so-called black box effect (algorithms are often described as black boxes, as their complexity and technical opacity hide and obfuscate their inner workings (Diakopoulos, Tow Center for Digital Journ, 2017). Recognizing the need for a humanitarian ethics dimension in the analysis of automation, AI, and ADMs used in humanitarian action, we endorse the concept of “explicability” as developed within the ethical framework of machine learning and humancomputer interaction, together with a set of proxy metrics. Finally, we stress the need for developing auditable standards, as well as transparent guidelines and frameworks to rein in the risks of what has been defined as humanitarian experimentation (Sandvik, Jacobsen, and McDonald, Int. Rev. Red Cross 99(904), 319–344, 2017). This article concludes that accountability mechanisms for AI-based systems and ADMs used to respond to the needs of populations in situation of vulnerability should be an essential feature by default, in order to preserve the respect of the do no harm principle even in the digital dimension of aid. In conclusion, while we confirm existing concerns related to the adoption of AI-based systems and ADMs in humanitarian action, we also advocate for a roadmap towards humanitarian AI for the sector and introduce a tentative ethics framework as basis for future research." (Abstract)
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"This pioneering curriculum presents a comprehensive competency framework of media and information literacy and offers educators and leraners structured pedagogical suggestions. It features various detailed modules covering the range of competencies needed to navigate today’s communications ecosys
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tem. This resource links media and information literacy to emerging issues, such as artificial intelligence, digital citizenship education, education for sustainable development, cultural literacy and the exponential rise in misinformation and disinformation. With effective use of this media and information literacy curriculum, everyone can become media and information literate as well as peer-educators of media and information literacy." (Short summary)
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"This paper synthesizes research on current trends, programmes, policies and uses of AI related to technical and vocational education and training across six continents, covering developing and developed contexts, as a resource for stakeholders invested in the future of intermediate-level workers an
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d TVET. Lecturers, students, administrators, policymakers, programme implementers and lifelong learners are invited to examine current practices, opportunities and challenges raised by AI, and recommendations to build a future-ready education and training system." (Short summary, page 3)
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"Intended as a guide for policy-makers and other stakeholders in crafting a national AI and data strategy for development, the report highlights opportunities and outlines good policy and regulatory practices for implementation, while also flagging key challenges and offering hands-on suggestions in
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managing and overcoming these roadblocks. The report describes the main building-blocks of a national AI and data system for development, including governance, regulation, ethical considerations, digital and data skills, the overall digital environment, the technological innovation landscape and opportunities for international collaboration. It goes on to detail the main components of an effective AI and data system action plan, including the principles governing stakeholder engagement, the setting of clear milestones and budgets and administrative structures to support implementation and coordination mechanisms." (Foreword)
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"Die Beiträge des umfangreichen Handbuchs sondieren die verschiedenen Facetten und Bedeutungen der digitalen Revolution: die Kultur der Digitalität (Ethik, Ästhetik, öffentlicher Raum, Gesellschaftspolitik), die theologisch-anthropologische Dimension (Personsein, Identität, Menschenbild, existe
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nzielle Fragen), die ekklesiale Dimension (Sozialförmigkeiten; Virtualität und Realität, religiöse Sozialisation, Predigt und Digitalität, digitale Kirchenentwicklung), die Gottesrede (Digitalität und Allmachtsphantasien, Leiblichkeit und Digitalität, Gottesrede und digitaler Kommunikation) sowie medienethische Einordnungen (Maschinenethik, Medienpolitik, Identität und Integrität)." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"As media environments and communication practices evolve over time, so do theoretical concepts. This book analyzes some of the most well-known and fiercely discussed concepts of the digital age from a historical perspective, showing how many of them have pre-digital roots and how they have changed
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and still are constantly changing in the digital era. Written by leading authors in media and communication studies, the chapters historicize 16 concepts that have become central in the digital media literature, focusing on three main areas. The first part, Technologies and Connections, historicises concepts like network, media convergence, multimedia, interactivity and artificial intelligence. The second one is related to Agency and Politics and explores global governance, datafication, fake news, echo chambers, digital media activism. The last one, Users and Practices, is finally devoted to telepresence, digital loneliness, amateurism, user generated content, fandom and authenticity. The book aims to shed light on how concepts emerge and are co-shaped, circulated, used and reappropriated in different contexts." (Publisher description)
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