2nd International Expert Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society

Media and Information Literacy as a Response to Generative AI

The promise of the Internet to democratize information, digital equity, and the participatory approach to democracy and digital citizenship has never been as important as today, with cutting-edge technology and the increasingly dominating force of artificial intelligence. When Generative AI has become accessible to all, not only computer scientists, it has become necessary to empower citizens with Media and Information Literacy (MIL) knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to navigate safely and wisely the complex AI-powered media, information and communication landscape. MIL imposes, therefore, itself as a viable response to Generative AI to set the balance right between technological advances and ethics in an increasingly digital world, preparing humanity for the empowering and at the same time challenging artificial intelligence era.

Highlighting Digital Competencies and Technology Literacy

Media and Information Literacy and Digital Competencies have become an urgent need to be accessible and empowering to all in order to get the most of these technological developments. Following the recommendation of the President of Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, Professor Ahmed Mouchtachi, this International Expert Conference highlights the importance of technological empowerment through MIL, by giving it visibility as a fundamental MIL literacy. This goes in line with the strategies of UNESCO that has taken the lead in this regard, targeting the enabling power of MIL as a lifelong evolving skill for over half a century and that has been proactive when it included digital literacy, digital competencies and AI literacy in its open access curricula and publications, promoting ethical, human rights-based and people-centred approaches to AI and harnessing the essential role of education.

Rationale of the Conference

This International Conference of Experts is organized by Moulay Ismail University of Meknes in collaboration with UNESCO as Lead Partner and a number of Key International, Regional and National Partners, in the framework of Worldwide Celebrations of Global MIL Week 2024. It will gather MIL experts from around the world to discuss the critical issue of the impacts of AI on Education, Culture and Society and the fundamental role of MIL in this regard. It aims to help make sense of the complex digital communication landscape, not only in terms of communication and the media, but also in terms of education, culture, peace, human rights, sustainable development and knowledge societies in the era of AI, with its great potential for progress and fulfilment, but also its risks to be mitigated, in particular the amplification of disinformation, the rise of hatred, violence and extremism, new digital threats to democracy and fundamental freedoms, as well as digital and linguistic inequalities. So many challenges that put MIL at the centre of the public debate for a humanist, ethical AI that helps us build a better world for all and by all. The new digital literacies required in the age of Generative AI must be sharpened by critical thinking and humanist values of co-existence, peace, conflict prevention, intercultural dialogue and respect for cultural diversity and human rights. This Expert Conference will discuss innovative, multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches that open up promising prospects at the intersection between AI, ethics and MIL for the social good. These are major issues that determine our collective humanity - present and future – that necessitate a multi-stakeholder approach to build new connections between disciplines and researchers and new partnerships towards setting a New Global MIL Research Agenda, which is one of the main expected outcomes of this Conference.

Find attached the complete program of the Conference in the following link.