Risks and opportunities: How AI threatens and protects freedom of expression

Risks and opportunities: How AI threatens and protects freedom of expression

In a world in which digital communication is increasingly taking place through social media, the role of content moderation is becoming increasingly important. Generative AI, especially large voice models (LLMS), are increasingly used. But how does this affect human rights and democratic structures? A recently published report by the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL)

The report entitled "Algorithmic Gatekeepers: The Human Rights Impacts of Llm Content Moderation" examines the opportunities and challenges that result from the use of LLMS in content moderation. The author Marlena Wisniak, an experienced specialist in the moderation landscape, previously worked on Twitter and brings valuable insights from her previous work. ECNL has been pursuing the interfaces between civic space and human rights for over 20 years, and its latest analysis is the result of a one -year research project, supported by Omidyar Network.

opportunities and challenges of the LLMS

The use of LLMS can have positive effects on the procedural rights. This enables personalized moderation options and provide users valuable information before publishing content. This could help promote more respectful coexistence in digital rooms. But these opportunities also go hand in hand with considerable risks. According to the report, LLMS can increase existing injustices and lead to a general censorship. In particular, marginalized groups could be treated unevenly due to false positive or negative ratings, which endangers their freedom of expression and privacy.

The dangers even go so far that the accuracy in the moderation is questioned. AI-generated content can lead to misinformation and hallucinations that endanger access to truthful information. The report also draws attention to the fact that in the massive concentration of moderation power in the hands, fewer actors could occur to standardize censorship, based on faulty models.

recommendations for a responsible moderation

The reporting of the ECNL offers some important recommendations for political decision -makers. The mandatory use of LLMS should be avoided for moderation. Instead, it is crucial to integrate human judgment into the moderation process and to implement transparency and accountability mechanisms. In addition, human rights effects should also be evaluated before using LLMS in order to recognize and co -mit potential negative effects at an early stage.

Another interesting aspect of the report is the need for better cooperation between technical experts and civil society. This is the only way to ensure that moderation practices are both effective and ethical. It is clear that the use of LLMS must not be done without careful considerations. In an open and democratic context, the influence of content moderation is enormous: it can significantly influence the visibility of content and thus the public debate.

Important knowledge from the analysis show that the use of LLMS not only a technological problem, but also a social. The reporting emphasizes that while LLMS potentially increases efficiency, the use of which can also reproduce the existing risks of digital inequality and discrimination. It is therefore essential to include the voices of those affected by the effects to ensure a fair and fair moderation.

Overall, the report shows that we are full of possibilities in a time - but also full of dangers. It is up to us to find the right balance between technological advances and the necessary human rights. Also the article by cigi indicates the growing challenges and how it can form the discourse in digital rooms. Ultimately, the central question remains: what responsibility do the tech companies bear in order to promote a fair and including digital environment?