ADF looks for ‘moment of truth’ in age of AI
With the United States, Russia and India heading to the polls this year, the 12th edition of the Athens Democracy Forum, aptly titled “Moment of Truth,” focused on the upcoming electoral battles in those countries and others around the world, discussing the future of democracy, misinformation and the integrity of the elections.
One of the hottest topics at the forum was how AI has influenced – both positively and negatively – key elections that have already taken or are scheduled to take place in different countries. The panel examined the extent to which mis- and disinformation campaigns using AI have or will affected outcomes.
Speakers included Ginny Badanes, senior manager of Microsoft’s Democracy Forward initiative, Carlos Luca de Tena Piera, executive director at the Center for the Governance of Change at IE University, and Vivian Schiller, vice president and executive director of Aspen Digital at the Aspen Institute.
A different panel titled “Rethinking Journalism: A Crisis of Confidence” gathered experts who discussed the challenges facing modern journalism, such as finding alternative funding sources, reporting on less popular stories, staying relevant to younger audiences, and addressing the need to focus on local communities.
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, president, international at The New York Times, cited one of many hypothetical ideas circulating that was first presented in a piece in “New Deal for Journalism,” where it was argued that social media platforms could be taxed to fund local journalism.
“A 1% tax on social media platforms’ revenue, based on last year’s figures, could generate about $8 billion, which would be a strong start in supporting local journalism,” said Dunbar-Johnson, who did not offer any proposals himself, adding that journalism is facing an existential crisis.
On the other hand, Dr Battinto L. Batts Jr, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, proposed that communities should fund local journalism in the same way they pay for essential services like internet access, clean water and security.
“Effective local journalism should be considered part of the community’s infrastructure,” he stated, adding that “people should support it just as they support other necessities.”
The second day also included a timely discussion on the current events in the Middle East during the “The Middle East Powder Keg” session. The discussion was moderated by Steven Erlanger, chief diplomatic correspondent for Europe at The New York Times, and focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with participants expressing their views on potential solutions.
“Nobody in 75 years has come up with a better idea than the initial UN resolution that created the first Israeli state,” said Roger Cohen, head of the New York Times Paris Bureau, after noting the historical challenges of finding a lasting resolution to the conflict. Cohen also reiterated his long-standing belief in the two-state solution, describing it as the most viable path forward.
Nomi Bar-Yaacov, an international negotiator and associate fellow at Chatham House, called for the acceptance of the proposal made by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian politician Nasser al-Qudwa for the future of the Middle East. “This plan is the way forward,” she noted, expressing support for the two-state solution.
“Without US pressure on Israel, there will be no ceasefire,” said Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, journalist, producer and author, expressing his concern that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities could have broader regional implications.
The forum also hosted workshops that tested innovative tools to monitor events in different countries and offered guidelines for tech companies around elections integrity.
The event, held in Athens from October 1-3, was organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation in cooperation with The New York Times.
