IGF 2023 Town Hall #165 Exploring the Risks and Rewards of Generative AI

This Town Hall delves into the multifaceted aspects of generative AI, analyzing both the risks and benefits it brings to the table, with a special emphasis on enhancing safety and security. We will start with a fictional scenario to help generate debate about safer concerns and AI. The moderated discussion to follow will crowdsource concerns regarding the potential dominance of super intelligent AI, while also highlighting the positive impacts that AI can have across various domains. The moderator, rapporteur, and online moderator will delve into how generative AI can bolster security measures, shape surveillance practices, foster online safety, contribute to the public good, and elevate user experiences. It is crucial to acknowledge the potential misuse of generative AI, as it can be employed to create harmful or inappropriate content. As we navigate this realm, the session will underscore the significance of an exploratory approach that balances caution with innovation, avoiding undue moral panics and highlighting real security concerns.

We would like to crowdsource participant concerns about safety related to generative AI. This aspect is not well accounted for in public debate, and differ, based on the audience and the application of the technology. To help get reactions, we propose running a security exercise scenario for participants, to highlight issues and spark debate. Our onsite moderator facilitates Safer Internet Day for the US. He's been skilled at integrating virtual and in-person audiences for years. Our online moderator will be responsible for facilitating onsite and online interactions. He's run several conference and is bilingual, so we hope to get more participating. Our onsite rapporteur has run World Cafes at RightsCon and AI safety training exercises for the Christchurch call, so she will be developing a scenario for participants to respond to. It will be made available beforehand. This was done via zoom and videoconferencing should be sufficient.