UN chief calls for coordinated global action on disinformation, hate and artificial intelligence

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The proliferation of hate and lies on digital platforms and the threat that artificial intelligence can become an uncontrolled “monster” demand coordinated global action — starting with a code of conduct for governments, tech companies and advertisers that promotes truth and protects human rights, the U.N. chief said Monday. 

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he plans to appoint a scientific advisory board in a few days, and an advisory board on artificial intelligence in September to prepare initiatives that the U.N. can take. He said he would react favorably to a new U.N. agency on artificial intelligence and suggested as a model the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is knowledge-based and has some regulatory powers. 

Guterres told a news conference he plans to consult widely on the just released principles for the U.N. Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, which he will issue before next year’s U.N. Summit of the Future.  

He expressed hope that the code will be widely supported, but when asked whether governments and tech companies are willing to take steps to make digital space safer, he replied, “That’s the question I ask myself.”