(Joint press release)
Bangkok, Thailand — Systemic issues can put women’s safety at risk when artificial intelligence (AI) is adopted, and gender bias in widely used AI systems poses a significant barrier to the positive use of AI in the context of peace and security in Southeast Asia.
Additionally, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and women’s civil society organizations (WCSOs) in the region are at high risk of facing cyber threats and, although largely aware of these risks, are not not necessarily able to prepare for or actively recover from it. cyber attacks.
These are some of the key findings of groundbreaking research released today by UN Women and the United Nations University Institute Macau (UNU Macao) examining the links between AI, digital security and the agenda women, peace and security (WPS) in Southeast Asia. .
The research was made possible through support from the Australian Government, under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies Cooperation Program (CCTCP), and the Government of the Republic of Korea through the UN Women initiative. Women, peace and cybersecurity: promoting women, peace and security in the digital world.
With AI expected to add $1 trillion to the gross domestic product of Southeast Asian countries by 2030, understanding the impact of these technologies on the WPS agenda is critical to helping these countries to regulate these technologies and mitigate their risks.
The report Artificial Intelligence and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Southeast Asiaexamines the opportunities and risks of AI from this unique perspective by focusing on four types of gender bias in AI – discrimination, stereotyping, exclusion and insecurity – that must be addressed before the region can fully benefit from new technological developments.
This research examines the relationship between AI and WPS according to three types of AI and their applications: AI for peace, neutral AI, and AI for conflict.
This report notes that within these categories, there are favorable and unfavorable effects of AI for gender-responsive peace and for women’s action in peace efforts.
While using AI for peace purposes can have multiple benefits, such as improving the inclusiveness and effectiveness of conflict prevention and tracking evidence of human rights violations, it is used unequally between genders, and pervasive gender bias makes women less likely to benefit from the application of AI. these technologies.
The report also highlights the risks associated with the use of these technologies for military purposes.
This research identifies two dimensions to improve the dynamics of AI and the FPS agenda in the region: mitigating the risks of AI systems to advance the FPS agenda, particularly on social media, but also on other tools , such as chatbots and mobile applications; and foster the development of AI tools designed explicitly to support gender-responsive peace, consistent with WPS commitments.
The second report, Cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities and resilience among women human rights defenders and civil society in Southeast Asiaexplores cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in this context with the aim of promoting cyber resilience and the human and digital rights of women in all their diversity.
While there is growing awareness of the risks women and girls face in cyberspace, there is little understanding of the impacts of gender on cybersecurity, or the processes and practices used to protect digital systems and networks from cyber risks and their harms.
This work differs from previous cybersecurity research as it focuses on human-centric versus techno-centric cybersecurity and emphasizes human factors rather than technical skills as well as gender centralization as essential element for cybersecurity.
Additionally, cyber threats are considered to be gender-based in nature, with WCSOs and WHRDs specifically targeted due to the focus of their work and susceptible to attack through misogynistic and sexualized harassment.
The findings highlight that digital technologies are central to the work of WCSOs and WHRDs, while noting that WCSOs had higher perceptions and experiences of threat than CSOs who do not work on gender and women’s rights, involving disproportionate risks of disrupting their work, which are harmful. their reputation, or even create harm or harm, which contributes to marginalizing women’s voices.
The biggest differences in threats experienced between groups were for online harassment, trolling (deliberately provoking others online to elicit reactions), and doxxing (when private or identifying information is broadcast about someone online without permission).
Recommendations from this report include promoting inclusive and collaborative approaches in cybersecurity policy development and engagement, and strengthening the knowledge of civil society, government, private sector actors and other decision-makers to develop appropriate means of preventing and responding to cyberattacks and their disproportionate impacts on WCSOs. and the FDDH.
Particular attention should be paid to individuals and organizations at risk, such as women’s groups operating in politically unstable contexts, affected by conflicts and crises, and in situations where civic space is shrinking.
The launch took place during a UN Women youth conference, Gen-Forum 2024: Young leaders for women, peace and security in Asia and the Pacific which kicked off today in Bangkok, Thailand.
UNU Macau and UN Women aim for this research, carried out over 12 months, to contribute to the global discourse on the ethics and standards surrounding AI and digital governance in general.
Next, training materials based on research findings and consultations with women’s rights advocates in the region will be rolled out, initially in Thailand and Vietnam, with e-learning modules and training manuals that will be publicly available in English, Thai and Vietnamese for interested stakeholders. from mid-2024.
