UN CHIEF CALLS FOR COORDINATED GLOBAL ACTION ON DISINFORMATION, HATE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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 this week.

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!" "We are dealing with a business that generates massive profits, and we are dealing also in some situations with governments that do not entirely respect human rights, so this is a constant battle and in this constant battle, we must mobilize all those that are committed to information integrity in digital platforms," he said.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, agreed that while it's a positive step that the U.N. is calling for international solutions to this global problem, its code of conduct won't likely be sufficient to stop the torrent of false and hateful information online.