A three-day online conference on AI, Disinformation and Parliament: Ensuring the Integrity of our Digital Democracy was held from 4 to 6 December 2023, organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The conference aimed to raise awareness among Parliamentarians about the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic media, such as deepfakes, and their implications for democracies and public discourse.

The conference featured panel discussions, roundtables, dialogues, explainers and Q&As with experts in the field, covering topics such as:

• the core concepts of disinformation, AI and synthetic media
• the threat landscape and the strategies to combat disinformation
• the legislative environment and policies to ensure the integrity of digital democracies.

In her keynote speech on the first day of the conference, the former UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Rt Hon. Chloe Smith, MP, identified three ways that Members of Parliament can shape the way that democratic societies respond to AI:

“MPs are local champions, we are national lawmakers, and we are ambassadors for democracy. As local champions we know our constituents and we are held accountable for much of their experience of the economy or of public services. Given the widespread risks and opportunities of AI, this is a significant listening role. As national lawmakers, we are the ones who need to confront a fast new technology and be able to make intelligent provision in our law or our regulation. And as ambassadors for democracy it is us who need to be able to be confident that our democracies are robust and that people’s free choices achieve what they intend.”

The conference also provided an opportunity for Parliamentarians, academics and experts to network and exchange best practices with their counterparts from the nine CPA regions, as well as to identify key actors who can help shape the conversation around AI and disinformation.

Reflecting on the Conference, the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, said:

"The conference was a valuable opportunity for Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to learn from experts and each other about the latest developments and challenges in AI and synthetic media, and their impact on our democracies and public discourse. I believe that legislators have a vital role to play in ensuring the integrity of our digital democracies, and I hope that the conference will inspire them to take action and collaborate with key actors in this field."

Browse the recordings

Choose a day: Use the 'Playlist' button in the top-right of the video player to find recordings from all three days of the Conference

Find a session: Choose your day, then select 'Watch in YouTube' in the bottom-left corner. The video will have chapters marking each session during the day, so you can quickly navigate to your desired session.

At the conference, the CPA launched its new Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Media. The handbook, co-produced with the Organization of American States (OAS), provides a comprehensive overview of disinformation, including its different forms and the various techniques used to spread it. It also covers the basics of AI and synthetic media, including their potential applications and implications for democracy, within and beyond the electoral cycle.

The conference and handbook form part of the CPA’s growing body of work on technology and innovation for Parliaments across the Commonwealth. The CPA hosted its first Conference on the 4th Industrial Revolution in July 2021.

Day 1: Core concepts

A History of Disinformation in Democracy

Disinformation: It’s History - Centre for International Governance Innovation (cigionline.org)

The impact of disinformation on democratic processes and human rights in the world | (europa.eu)

Generative AI and Synthetic Media: Present and Future Perspectives

Guidance for Safe Foundation Model Deployment: A Framework for Collective Action (Partnership on AI)

Initial policy considerations for generative artificial intelligence (OECD)

Harnessing the Power of AI and Emerging Technologies (OECD)

International Code of Conduct for Advanced AI Systems (European Comission)

Deepfakes, Disinformation and Elections

Report: The state of information disorder in the 2023 Turkish Presidential and General Elections (Teyit)

Slovakia’s Election Deepfakes Show AI Is a Danger to Democracy (WIRED)

Nigerian fact checkers fight election misinformation with Full Fact's AI Tools (blog.google)

Brace Yourself for the 2024 Deepfake Election (WIRED)

Day 2: The threat landscape and the strategies to combat disinformation

AI-generated disinformation - Actors, Motivations and Tactics

What is synthetic disinformation and how does it threaten democracies? (CPA)

How AI-generated images are complicating efforts to combat disinformation (International Journalists' Network)

How generative AI is boosting the spread of disinformation and propaganda (MIT Technology Review)

The Role of Parliament and Parliamentarians in combatting AI-Generated Disinformation

Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, AI and Synthetic Media (CPA)

Mitigating AI-Generated Disinformation - The Role of Provenance

Could C2PA Cryptography be the Key to Fighting AI-Driven Misinformation? (techrepublic.com)

Generative AI, content provenance and a public service internet (The Royal Society)

Cryptography may offer a solution to the massive AI-labelling problem (MIT Technology Review)

AI Governance: Balancing Freedom of Expression & Effective Regulation

The Presidio Recommendations on Responsible Generative AI (World Economic Forum)

How do we best govern AI? (Microsoft On the Issues)

Regulation of generative AI must protect freedom of expression (OpenGlobalRights)

Day 3: The legislative environment and policies to ensure the integrity of digital democracies

Synthetic Media and Parliamentarians: Understanding the Threats as Public Figures

What Can You Do When AI Lies About You? (The New York Times – access may be restricted by a paywall)

What the Doomsayers Get Wrong About Deepfakes (The New Yorker – access may be restricted by a paywall)

Synthetic Media and Human Rights: Building a Rights-Based Approach

Regulating Transparency in Audiovisual Generative AI: How Legislators Can Center Human Rights (Tech Policy Press)

Fortify the Truth: How to Defend Human Rights in an Age of Deepfakes and Generative AI (Journal of Human Rights Practice)

What would a human rights-based approach to AI governance look like? (Global Partners Digital)

Human rights by design: future-proofing human rights protection in the era of AI (Office of the Commissioner for Human Right)

Deepfakes: A New Online Gender-Based Violence?

Another Body | Official Trailer | Utopia (YouTube)

Tightening Restrictions on Deepfake Porn: What US Lawmakers Could Learn from the UK (techpolicy.press)

Cyberflashing and Deepfake Pornography (Northern Ireland Assembly)