Nordic Talks Japan: How to Advocate for Peace and Democracy in the Digital World
The use of digital technologies can in many ways benefit international peace, security, and democracy. For instance, they can promote greater inclusiveness in peace processes and in elections. But digital technologies can also affect conflicts for the worse, for instance through the spread of disinformation.
How can we use digital tools to advocate for peace and democracy? What kinds of challenges and opportunities does the digital media environment present for Western societies? And what is the future of democracy in the era of digitalization and data economy?
On April 26th, Nordic Innovation House Tokyo, the 5 Nordic Embassies in Japan, and the Finnish Institute in Japan held a Nordic Talks Japan event to further discuss the topic. The event took place at the UNIVERSITY of CREATIVITY in Akasaka Biz Tower, Tokyo. We had around 50 participants at the venue and 120+ participants joining the discussion online.
Speakers:
Keynote speech:
Ms. Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, Tech Ambassador of Denmark
Panelists:
Ms. Maiko Ichihara, Professor, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University
Mr. Rauno Merisaari, Ambassador for Human Rights and Democracy of Finland
Mr. Jakob Hallgren, Director, The Swedish Institute for International Affairs
Moderator:
Ms. Sayuri Daimon, Journalist, lecturer at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, former Managing Editor of The Japan Times
Global collaboration to harness positive impacts
In her keynote speech, Larsen emphasized the positive opportunities that digital technologies are bringing to human society. Social media can create global empathy, communication, and engagement, and enhance peace and prosperity. However in order to fully harness these opportunities and mitigate the risks, the international community must come together. As examples of Denmark and Nordic’s efforts in the field, she introduced Denmark’s new digital democracy initiative, a funding mechanism to support programs that are bringing voice to the voiceless with technology, and the Nordic Think Tank for Tech and Democracy, appointed by the Nordic Council of Ministers in May 2022.
Digital technologies bring power to people, transparency to governments
To begin the panel, Daimon asked each panelist how they see the positive sides of digital technologies. Hallgren mentioned that digital technology can give voice to more people, bring governments more transparency, and enhance direct relations between people to people. Greta Thunberg’s movement could not have been as powerful as it has been without digital tools. Indicting war criminals can also be easier with digital materials. Merisaari pointed out how Finland sees digital technology as a new way of direct communication between the State and its people. For example, the Citizens’ Initiative system in Finland allows you to submit a legislative proposal if you gather 50,000 or more signatures from eligible voters. The same-sex marriage act came to life through this system. Ichihara introduced the term ”liberation technology”, and explained how digital technologies are empowering citizens and enabling them to make substantial impacts in the international society, whereas in the past, it was only the state sovereignty that had such power. Anonymity is also helping people in dangerous situations raise their voices through digital platforms.
Basic human rights, inclusiveness, and responsibility at risk
The panel also discussed the downsides of digital technologies. Merisaari reminded us all to be careful, when talking about the downsides, whether we are talking about the technology itself, or the way it is used by humans. Oftentimes it is the way humans use that leads to the downside. For example in an authoritarian society, digital technologies can be a huge risk to basic human rights. Another issue is inclusiveness in the digital world. For example in Finland, only 20% of the population above age 75 are registered for online public services. Hallgren pointed out the downside of anonymity which can lead to irresponsibility. Ichihara mentioned that social media opened up the excursive place to the public and that it is functioning as a platform for people to express opinions and concerns. However, without even noticing, people are only communicating within the filter bubble where only like-minded individuals gather.
Should the use of ChatGPT be regulated?
The discussion also touched on the use of ChatGPT. When automobiles were first introduced to society in the industrial revolution, we didn’t have any regulations and people were using them in chaos. Then eventually, regulations came into place. Should the same process be followed with ChatGPT? How should we overcome the ethical aspects? Merisaari pointed out that any policy or regulation must be balanced between regulation and enabling technological development. Amending and improving relevant regulations already in place, such as the International Human Rights Convention, is one way to deal with it. Hallgren mentioned that technologies should be neutral, but even the developers are worried about whether ChatGPT will stay neutral. Ichihara mentioned the current status where authoritarian states are collecting citizen data with AI-based surveillance technology. For example, China has been exporting its surveillance technologies to almost 80 other countries. With the rise of ChatPGT, however, authorities no longer even have to have these surveillance technologies. It is worth thinking about how to utilize this new technology to protect data from authorities.
Young generation can contribute to creating counter-narratives
Towards the end, the importance of education was raised. Hallgren mentioned that education from the primary age is important to raise awareness of the downsides such as disinformation and echo chambers. Merisaari agreed that high-level education in digital and media literacy is extremely important. In addition, Ichimura emphasized the importance of designing the counter-narrative to protect AI technologies from being used to harm human rights, democracy, and peace. In this context, we should collaborate with the young “digital native” generations.
The panel discussion was followed by an active Q&A session. Questions varied from the decentralization of digital technology to the use of digital technology during the Arab Spring, and the legitimacy of regulating ChatGPT at the current stage of development.
A Human-centric approach to technologies
For the closing remarks, H.E. Tanja Jääskeläinen, Ambassador from Finland to Japan emphasized the importance of a human-centric approach towards digital technology, education to secure the safety of people, trust between the authority and people to harness the positive side of digital technologies, and civic online space for more voices to be heard.
Thank you for reading to the end! You can also follow the whole discussion from the recording:
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