WEF fights against misinformation in social media
Published: Friday, Jan 19th 2024, 10:20
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During the WEF in Davos, dozens of false reports about the annual meeting were spread on social media. WEF Director Alois Zwinggi is also aware of this problem. He therefore wants to promote public dialog and has announced an initiative.
They are deceptively real videos showing speeches on the podium of the World Economic Forum (WEF) that never actually took place. Images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that spread false information about the annual meeting.
"This is an extremely relevant topic for us," said Zwinggi in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. A risk report published by the WEF organization further underlines the problem: experts believe that misinformation will pose the greatest threat to the global community over the next two years.
This so-called fake news is particularly problematic this year because around 4.2 billion people will be voting in 2024. The European elections and the election of a new US president are on the political agenda. Zwinggi said that the WEF was therefore very concerned with how democratic processes could be ensured. He also announced an initiative with media companies dedicated to the responsible use of AI.
In addition, it is all the more important to make the WEF accessible to the public because of the fake news, so that it does not come to nothing. The Open Forum - a public podium outside the congress center - was full to capacity every day. On Thursday, a group of 20 Davos residents were shown around the cordoned-off area. The presentations by the top-class speakers will be streamed live on YouTube.
Criticism of free riders
Zwinggi also criticized the countless free riders who used the WEF to advertise their companies on the Davos promenade. During a walk on Friday last week, for example, he noticed that a World Crypto Forum was being advertised. Without further ado, he returned with a lawyer. By Sunday, this forum no longer existed. "We have to protect our trademark rights," Zwinggi emphasized.
Unfortunately, the number of free riders is back to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The town of Davos normally has a population of just over 12,000. During the WEF week, this figure rises to over 40,000 people. This shows the massive parallel universe of the forum, whose guest numbers have remained constant at 2,800 people for ten years.
This is accompanied by horrendous prices for accommodation. The level this year is significantly higher than before the coronavirus pandemic. The guests of the forum receive a hotel room from the WEF organization. "We were able to negotiate good conditions for this," says Zwinggi. The high prices for apartments were generated by free riders for free riders.
©Keystone/SDA
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