It’s difficult not to think about the United States during these times. One term I’ve increasingly heard mentioned in the same breath as the USA is the rather complex word “kakistocracy.” This concept, derived from Greek, where “κάκιστος” (kakistos) means “worst” and “κράτος” (kratos) means “rule,” refers to a system of government where the least qualified and most unscrupulous individuals hold power. The term has been used to describe situations where incompetence, corruption, and self-serving motives permeate political leadership, directly undermining good governance. Understanding this concept is crucial when analyzing America’s political evolution, particularly against the backdrop of changes in recent decades, and even more so in light of recent developments. Kakistocracy appears to be an increasingly relevant concept in the American context due to the growing erosion of democratic norms and institutions, combined with intense polarization and a political culture where special interests and loyalties outweigh competence and responsibility.…
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What if we could enhance teaching, training and exercises in the practice of mitigating foreign influence and malign information, through novel training materials? That was the starting question that has brought me on a journey over the past year, form our innovation labs at RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden, in Göteborg, to training sessions with the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, and thereafter to training sessions with the Center for Countering Desinformation in Ukraine. This is a story about what started out as a fairly straightforward concept, but over the year evolved into a powerful resource for understanding, analyzing, and countering influence campaigns—both in Sweden and beyond. The journey of the deck of cards is also a story of international collaborations, of the importance of pedagogy and design, and the way a simple idea can grow to have profound impact. Initially developed at RISE, the Research Institutes of Sweden, the…
Leave a CommentI look at the two mugs standing on my oak kitchen table, this beginning of december. One dark with Natos compass star from Riga, one white with Ukrainian folk patterns from Lviv. Through the window, the Swedish winter light grows brighter. This autumn my travels have led to cities where history is being written. Kyiv in September, Riga in October, Lviv in November. In each place, I have spoken about how artificial intelligence changes the battlefield of information. In each place, I have met people who understand what is at stake, and want to share their knowledge and work together. In Riga, at the Nato StratCom Centre of Excellence, we discussed how AI can spread lies and how it can fight them. People gathered from all over Nato to share experiences and learn together. In Lviv, the Ukrainian officials I worked with knows this isnt just theory. There, our phones…
1 CommentThe lecture below, provided in video and text, was originally held at a conference in South Korea held by Business Sweden. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today’s presentation titled “Traveling Fast on the Bumpy Road of AI.” My name is Carl Heath, and I am a senior researcher at RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden. I have a background in the fields of applied IT, education and innovation, and have been exploring the application of AI in various contexts over the past years. I am excited to share with you some insights and knowledge on this rapidly evolving technology! In this presentation, we will explore various aspects of AI, from its basic principles and the latest developments to its applications across diverse sectors, such as education, healthcare, and business. We will also delve into the challenges and ethical considerations related to AI, addressing the balance between opportunities and risks. Our…
Leave a CommentSvensk version: Dags för hängslen och livrem – så stärker vi opinionsbildningen i samhället What would our democracy look like without journalism? There is no doubt that journalism has a crucial role in democracy. Journalism has an important role in holding power accountable in society. Journalists and media outlets are those who usually provide us the information we need to make well-informed decisions. And in a digital age, where there is an abundance of information and news sources, it is more important than ever to ensure that journalism is reliable and impartial. In just a few decades we have seen how technology have made it easier to spread false information. The development has also meant that public discourse can be more easily exposed to malign information. This development puts us at the risk of ending up in a dangerous downward spiral where people begin to lose trust in the media…
Leave a CommentThis text aims to describe possible ways forward after having been bound to digital platforms for over a decade. For this text to do its justice, I hope you read the first part, which describes the platform society of the last decade and how it developed to today. It probably makes this text easier to get onboard with. The public digital dialogue of today is not anymore governed based on the established practice and the traditions from which modern democracy sprang. The digital dialogue have come to leave behind large parts of the customs and traditions we see in the physical world. Instead, the terms of the dialogue, the rules of our conversations, are dictated by a few for-profit companies in their interests of their shareholders. The processes that constitutes the rules of a public meeting, or for that matter an informal conversation, are instead largely governed by algorithms that…
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