This week in Brussels, we co-hosted a high-level event on AI, citizen participation, and the Democracy Shield at the European Committee of the Regions under the patronage of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The event showed the importance of dialogue between civil society and EU institutions. We proposed clear ideas on how to approach issues such as the urgent need for strengthening the moderation capabilities in local, smaller languages, looking into transparency of monetisation mechanisms beyond political advertising, and what’s closest to the discussed topic — role of AI in generating polarising content and its use for automated amplification. Insights from participants confirmed the importance of digital governance issues such as need for more clarity on the use of AI by political actors and more transparency on how influencers treat their platforms online. Our pre-launched report, Protecting Digital Civic Space, provided the foundation for this exchange based on consultations we held with 60 organisations our region.
We thank the MEPs and all participants who affirmed a shared understanding that the digital space is now a frontline in the defence of democratic quality: Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Nathalie Loiseau, Renew MEP, Chair of the Special Committee on EU Democracy Shield
Mika Aaltola, EPP MEP, Member of the Special Committee on EU Democracy Shield
Katarzyna Prusak-Górniak, Head of the Digital Affairs Unit, Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union
Martyna Bildziukiewicz, Deputy Head of Division, European External Action Service
Iverna McGOWAN, Advisor on Tech and Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights (UN OHCHR)
Silke Toenshoff, Head of Unit from the Communication directorate of the Le Comité européen des régions
Adrien Duguet, President of Association Civic Tech Europe – ACTE
Axel Dauchez, Founder and President of Make.org
This event sets a promising tone for the upcoming work on the shape of the Shield – many thanks to our excellent partners from Association Civic Tech Europe – ACTE and Make.org.
