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DiploNews – Issue 493 – 17 June 2024

Diplo Academy upcoming courses and programmes

⭐ Humanitarian Diplomacy online course: Applications open! 

Applications are now open for our Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Learn how to advance your career and improve the work of your organisation!

Banner for Humanitarian Diplomacy - starting September 2024

☀️ Diplo’s 2024 summer online courses

Register now to reserve your place in our specialised summer courses!

👉🏼 Application deadlines for certificates issued by Diplo: 10 July 2024

For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo’s course catalogue.

◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available!

Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2024 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.


Launch of the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) project

The official press release of the CADE launch outlines our mission to empower civil society organisations to participate more actively in digital policy processes, fostering inclusive and participatory democratic processes worldwide.

Read the press release and sign up for the CADE newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and opportunities to get involved!

 Crowd, Person, People, Adult, Male, Man, Audience, Speech, Face, Head, Indoors, Debate
Prof. Jovan Kurbalija (DiploFoundation), Amb. Lotte Knudsen (EU’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva), and Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila (CADE’s Project Coordinator) during the project launch in Geneva on 31 May 2024 (DiploFoundation).

Blogs and publications

◆ AI@UN: Navigating the Tightrope Between Innovation and Impartiality

The UN faces the challenge of integrating AI in a way that maintains its impartiality and credibility, advocating for an open-source AI platform contributed to by countries, companies, and citizens to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and adherence to its core principles. Read the blog post!


◆ Part 3 – Speaking of Futures: Presuppositions

In her third post on futures literacy, linguist Dr Biljana Scott delves into presuppositions and their influence on how we perceive the future, especially regarding AI. Read the blog post!


◆ In the beginning was the word, and the word was with the chatbot, and the word was the chatbot

Given the profound importance of language and its various disciplines in technological developments, it is crucial to consider how chatbots function as products of advanced technology. Specifically, it contributes to understanding how chatbots learn through algorithmic cognition and how they effectively and accurately respond to diverse user queries reflecting their systems in linguistics studies. Read the DigWatch analysis!


◆ Digital Watch Monthly #90 (June 2024)

In our June issue, we discuss the need for a digital social contract, look at the discussions surrounding WSIS+20 and AI for Good, analyse the newest AI governance developments in Europe, explain the significance of the OEWG POC directory, and attempt to reduce terminological confusion over the terms ‘digital’, ‘internet’, and ‘AI’ governance. Read Digital Watch Monthly #90!


◆ DW Weekly #164 (14 June 2024)

Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri; Musk’s lawyers moved to dismiss the lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, ending a months-long legal battle; The G7 summit kicked off on Thursday in Italy, with AI as one of the main topics of discussion; Kurt Erik Lindqvist has been appointed as ICANN’s new president and CEO. Read DW Weekly #164!


◆ ConfTech Digest #36 (May–June 2024)

Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom have released a series of updates and new features in their products, including adaptive audio, features for better presentation delivery, Intelligent Summary, new confidentiality features, Peek cards, Online Poll QR Code Sharing, and a wide selection of languages for voicemail and videomail transcription. Read ConfTech Digest #36!


◆ The Waning of Mind Maps

There has been a steady shift from using mind maps to relying on external maps. What impact does this have on human cognition and our decision-making processes? Aldo Matteucci analyses. Read the blog post!


Latest videos

Geneva Dialogue Talks #3: Is our software secure?

In our latest episode, Anastasiya Kazakova asks Bert Hubert (Independent Entrepreneur and Software Developer):

  • Is our software secure?
  • Why is it a challenge for developers to deliver secure software?
  • What’s the role of open-source software in this context?
  • Is government intervention necessary for enhancing the security of digital products?

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