New UN study highlights impact of AI and cybersecurity on women, peace and security in Southeast Asia

[Joint press release]

bangkok, thailand — As artificial intelligence (AI) is introduced, systemic issues can put women's safety at risk, and gender bias across widely used AI systems is a key issue in the context of peace and security in Southeast Asia. This poses a major obstacle to the active use of AI.

Furthermore, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and women civil society organizations (WCSOs) in the region are at high risk of encountering cyber threats, and although they are generally aware of these risks, they do not necessarily prepare for or proactively respond to them. There is no way you can recover from it. Cyber ​​attack.

These are the findings of a ground-breaking study published today by UN Women and the United Nations University Research Institute (UNU Macau) examining the links between AI, digital security and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Southeast Asia. This is one of the important achievements of .

This research was made possible with support from the Australian Government under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Cyber ​​and Critical Technology Cooperation Program (CCTCP) and the South Korean Government through the UN Women Initiative. Women, Peace, and Cybersecurity: Promoting Women, Peace, and Security in a Digital World.

AI is predicted to add US$1 trillion to the gross domestic product of Southeast Asian countries by 2030, and understanding the impact of these technologies on the WPS agenda will help these countries regulate technologies and reduce risk. This is extremely important in helping to reduce the risk.

The report, Artificial Intelligence and the Women, Peace, and Security Challenges in Southeast Asia, focuses on four types of gender bias in AI (discrimination, stereotyping, exclusion, and insecurity) and uses this unique perspective to identify opportunities for AI. and verifying risks. These issues need to be addressed before the region can fully benefit from new technological developments.

This study investigates the relationship between AI and WPS based on three types of AI and their applications: peace AI, neutral AI, and conflict AI.

Across these categories, the report notes the positive and negative impacts of AI on gender-responsive peace and women's agency in peace efforts.

While the use of AI for peaceful purposes has multiple benefits, such as increasing inclusivity, improving the effectiveness of conflict prevention, and tracking evidence of human rights violations, the use of AI is unequal between genders. , women are less likely to benefit from the application of AI due to the prevalence of gender bias. These technologies.

The report also highlights the risks associated with the use of these technologies for military purposes.

This study identifies two aspects to improve the dynamics of the AI ​​and WPS agenda in the region. One is to de-risk AI systems to drive the WPS agenda, especially in social media, but also in other tools such as chatbots and mobile applications. And, in line with the WPS commitment, we will foster the development of AI tools explicitly built to support gender-sensitive peace.

The second report, Cybersecurity Threats, Vulnerabilities and Resilience among Women Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society in Southeast Asia, aims to promote cyber resilience and human and digital rights for all women. We investigate cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in this context. their diversity.

There is growing awareness of the risks that women and girls face in cyberspace, but the impact of gender on cybersecurity and the processes and practices used to protect digital systems and networks from cyber risks and their harms remain unclear. Little understood.

This study is notable for its human-centered focus compared to technology-centered cybersecurity, emphasizing human factors rather than technical skills and the centralization of gender as important to cybersecurity. This is different from previous research on cybersecurity.

Additionally, cyber threats are understood to be gendered in nature, and WCSO and WHRD are particularly targeted because of the focus of their work, making them more likely to be attacked with misogynistic and sexual harassment. Become.

The results highlight that digital technologies are central to WCSO and WHRD activities, while WCSOs have higher threat perceptions and experience of threats than CSOs that do not address gender and women's rights, and disrupt operations. It points out that there is a disproportionate risk of causing damage. They can tarnish women's reputations and even put them in harm's way, all of which contribute to the marginalization of women's voices.

The biggest differences in threats experienced between groups were from online harassment, trolling (deliberately provoking another person online to incite a response), and identity theft (having personal or personal information posted online without permission by someone online). (to be distributed about).

The report's recommendations include promoting a comprehensive and collaborative approach in cybersecurity policy development and engagement, and developing appropriate prevention and response measures against cyber-attacks and their disproportionate impact on WCSO. It includes building the knowledge of civil society, government, private sector actors, and other decision makers. And W.H.R.D.

Particular attention should be paid to individuals and organizations at risk, such as women's organizations operating in politically unstable, conflict- and crisis-affected contexts and contexts where civic space is shrinking.

The announcement was made during the United Nations Women's Agency's youth conference, Gen-Forum 2024: Young Leaders for Women, Peace and Security in Asia and the Pacific, which began today in Bangkok, Thailand.

United Nations University Macau and UN Women aim to contribute to the global debate on ethics and norms surrounding AI and digital governance in general with this 12-month study.

Training materials, based on the survey findings and consultations with local women's rights advocates, will then be rolled out, initially in Thailand and Vietnam, with e-learning modules and training handbooks made available to interested stakeholders in English, Thai and Vietnamese from mid-2024.