International Geneva
“Digital cannot be governed by two blocks, at the risk of a new colonization”
Before the French -speaking forum on digital and artificial intelligence (IA) governance in Geneva on July 5 and 6, an interview with the representative of La Francophonie in Geneva, French Henri Monceau.
Henri Monceau, designated permanent observer of the International Organization of La Francophonie at Onug.
A photo/Violaine Martin
On the occasion of the first French -speaking forum on digital and artificial intelligence governance (AI), which will be held in Geneva on July 5 and 6, Henri Monceau, representative of the Francophonie in the International City, Return to the crucial issues of sovereignty, cultural diversity and digital justice. Faced with the technological domination of major powers, he defends a collective mobilization of French -speaking countries to weigh in global digital regulation.
Why was it important to organize this first French-speaking forum on digital and AI now in Geneva?
The World Digital Pactwhich was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, also launched three major determining projects for better global governance of digital and artificial intelligence: what framework to follow the changes of AI? What governance of the data, which are truly the fuel of AI and form an extremely sensitive issue both from a personal and collective point of view because they determine the degree of digital sovereignty of a state? And what architecture of governance between the intergovernmental model which presided over the adoption of the World Digital Pact And the so -called Multipartite model, which associates the technical community, industry and civil society with governments, and which has been prevailing since 2005? These crucial questions will be at the heart of the 20e Monitoring meeting World Summit on the Information Societywhich is held in Geneva from July 7 to 11, parallel to the summit of the AI for the common good (AI for good). This is why we have chosen to mobilize the Francophones in Geneva upstream of these important meetings, so that they weigh on the debates.
What role can the Francophonie play in global digital governance?
The Francophonie has been active for a very long time on these questions. The first French -speaking ministerial meeting was held in Quebec in 1993, even though the world wide web was in the infancy. The International Organization of La Francophonie notably played a decisive role in advocacy for rules favorable to cultural diversity. She was a major player in the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Expressions of Cultural Diversity (2005). She also systematically ensured the capacity building of her member states and governments, in order to ensure a place at the table. Finally, she is an actress committed to the fight against digital fractures through awareness programs and training in digital skills.
How is the French-speaking approach distinguished from Anglo-Saxon or Sino-Center models in terms of digital and AI?
The French -speaking approach is characterized by two strong particularities. First of all, the French -speaking space – which we determine as such because it brings together countries which use French between them as a vehicle language – includes more than a thousand different languages and as much, even more, cultures. The challenge of cultural and linguistic diversity as well as that of the discovery of its contents (that is to say, to spontaneously meet content from the French-speaking space on the Internet) are therefore not secondary: it is absolutely vital to preserve identity, but also promoting economic, social, educational, scientific and cultural development of this space.
The second feature is that the Francophonie was designed by its founders as a bridge, such as an institution whose aim is to throw bridges between countries in the south and countries of the North. The digital question is fundamental in this regard; Particularly because our southern countries are among those which house a large part of the 2.6 billion humans who are not yet connected today.
What concretely means “digital sovereignty” for French -speaking countries?
It is first of all a question of having infrastructure and regulations making it possible to exercise effective sovereignty on the data, that is to say to avoid that it is uniquely punctuated by American or Chinese companies and preserved in the territories controlled by these countries. On this political, legal and technical capacity depend on cultural and linguistic diversity, but also the public production of knowledge (with the impact that it can have on education, on research, on innovation, etc.) of these states.
A simple example: to cause generative AI, you need large quantities of scanned data. Most national or local languages spoken in Africa – including languages sometimes used by tens of millions of speakers, such as Wolof, Lingala or Swahili – do not have these digital data stocks. There is therefore a real risk for these countries to see the millennial structuring of their cultures and societies collapse and to become even more prey for external economic actors.
What are the current risks of technological governance dominated by some major powers?
The risk is that of digital colonization. This is already at work. UNCTAD revealed that 90%of the economic valuation of digital platforms was in the hands of two countries: the United States (63%) and China (27%). Europe and Canada represent only 3.6%; Africa just over 2%. In other words, while connectivity is progressing every day, that we have increasingly efficient information highways, on these highways circulate American or Chinese digital trucks.
Why did you choose Geneva as a host of this forum? What does this city symbolize for digital governance?
Geneva is home to several of the most important institutions in governance and global digital regulation: The International Telecommunications Union Of course, which this year celebrates its 160e Birthday, but also the World Intellectual Property Organization (IMPI), ISO, the Sciences Commission for Technology and Development (CSTD), etc. But it is also the siege of the United Nations with regard to human rights, a matrix component of international governance and AI.
Finally, Geneva played a pioneering role in this governance by welcoming the first meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (SMSI) in 2003, before a second meeting in Tunis in 2005. Since then, and this is of course also one of the effects of the famous Geneva Spirit, it occupies a central place in digital and AI governance.
One of the major objectives of the forum is digital inclusion. What are the concrete levers to achieve this, especially in the southern countries?
Two priorities in this area: connectivity of course, which means substantial financial means that continue to be lacking. The first version of the world digital pact project proposed the creation of a global fund likely to ensure this lever effect. Many countries in the North have opposed it. We remain favorable to the implementation of a tool of this nature. Then, the strengthening of capacities and skills because, if you are connected but you do not have the capacity to develop your own digital offer, you are only a market for dominant players.
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