The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO and the World Jewish Congress have warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to deny genocide and distort history. Since many young people are already using AI for education, entertainment and other tasks, there is an urgent need to ethically guide the new technology. UNESCO has already prepared guidelines for this,
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Generative AI relies on large amounts of data from the internet, including misleading content and human bias. This can present misinformation about certain events and reinforce prejudices, The report says “AI and the Holocaust: Rewriting History?” UNESCO and the World Jewish Congress. If developers do not adequately monitor AI tools, they will also be trained based on Holocaust denier websites.
AI also enables malicious actors to distort content such as witness statements and historical records about the genocide. Deepfake images, videos, and audio content created with generative AI are particularly attractive to young people, who may encounter them on social media. Generative AI models also invent events and historical occurrences if they do not have access to sufficient data. Furthermore, such systems can be actively manipulated.
Algorithmic Bias
Another problem identified in the report is that search engines and AI bots can be “algorithmically biased”. Facts about the genocide are downplayed and right-wing extremist content is promoted. AI also simplifies complex issues. When lesser-known events of the Holocaust are omitted, it promotes stereotypical representations and limits understanding of this past – which is still felt by people in Europe and North Africa.
Chat control: Germany will vote against the current proposal“If we allow the terrible facts of the Holocaust to be weakened, distorted or falsified through the irresponsible use of AI, we risk an explosion of anti-Semitism and a gradual deterioration of our understanding of the causes and consequences of these atrocities,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. UNESCO’s recommendations on the ethics of artificial intelligence must be urgently implemented so that younger generations grow up with facts, not fakes.
UNESCO encourages developers of AI tools to ensure that their products respect human rights principles. Politicians should establish fair regulations for companies to ensure they produce their AI content transparently and fairly. Education should focus more on AI and the skills it requires so that learners can recognize disinformation and bias.
Today, June 18, has been declared by the United Nations as the International Day to Combat Incitement. In protest against hate speech on the social network X, 47 organizations have announced that they will close their accounts there. This Tuesday is also the World Jewish Congress Institute for Technology and Human Rights was established. Above all, it seeks to combat anti-Semitism on the Internet and its very real consequences.
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