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Called "Empowering Youth: Innovative Solutions to Combat Disinformation in Democracies", the event was the opportunity for Make.org to present the results of the consultation “What are your ideas to safeguard democracies against desinformation (fakes news, AI, interferences…)? led by Make.org and Sciences Po, with the support of NATO and Microsoft. From 15 May to 20 June 2024, young people in France, Romania and Moldova were invited to participate in this consultation by proposing their ideas and voting on those of others.
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The consultation engaged more than 7,800 participants and highlighted a concrete agenda with seven ideas that are priorities for young people in France, Romania and Moldova to protect democracies from disinformation.
Axel Dauchez, President and Founder of Make.org: "The rise of AI is everywhere, presenting a double-edged sword as it is both a solution and a menace at the same time. To counter AI's drawbacks, it is crucial to raise awareness and find concrete solutions at the right level."
Pierre Noro, Advisor and Associate Expert, Sciences Po: "Trust is key, as #disinformation spreads faster in countries with low trust in government and media. #AI tools that facilitate pluralistic deliberation are valuable in fighting disinformation in these contexts."
The panel was also the opportunity to present ‘Forum against Fakes’: an unprecedented democratic exercise led by the Bertelsmann Stiftung in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, where more than 420,000 German citizens were able to interact and take part in the work of a citizens’ assembly on disinformation thanks to Make.org's online platforms.
In order to initiate a German-wide debate on how to deal with disinformation, the Bertelsmann Stiftung conceived a unique participation format with the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and various partners. It is the first citizens’ assembly combined with massive online participation.
Dr. Dominik Hierlemann, Senior Advisor, Democracy and Social Cohesion, Bertelsmann Stiftung: "We need better citizen participation to reinforce democracy. That’s why we developed a new method combining an online consultation and a citizens' assembly. Over 420,000 citizens participated, we are very proud of the results."
During the panel, young citizens from France and Germany who took part in the consultations were invited to share their proposals and explain them to the audience. A round table moderated by Alexis Prokopiev, Director Governance and Democratic Innovation at Make.org, allowed high-level speakers to provide their insights on the different findings.
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Sabrina Spieleder, Head, Information Environment Assessment Team, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO: "As disinformation can now be used as a strategic tool to prepare military interventions, significant work is underway to understand the tactics behind manipulative behaviours in order to prevent and mitigate them."
Ben Crampton, Director, European Government Affairs, Microsoft: "Regarding disinformation, Microsoft has a responsibility to keep its customers safe. Our role is not to decide what is true or false, but to identify and prevent potentially threatening behaviours."
Dr. Dominik Hierlemann, Senior Advisor, Democracy and Social Cohesion, Bertelsmann Stiftung: "A third of the population no longer reads or listens to traditional media. They prefer to stay in their own media bubble. We need all stakeholders to take their part in breaking these bubbles."
Florent Parmentier, General Secretary, CEVIPOF - Sciences Po: "We have a series of dilemmas regarding disinformation: do we need global or tailored solutions ? Do we need collective or individual approaches? And is AI a part of the solution or part of the problem?"
