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Will AI take over diplomatic reporting? (WebDebate #56)

Reports are the lifeblood of diplomacy. Every day, thousands of reports, also called diplomatic cables, are prepared by diplomats worldwide. 

With the advance of AI, in particular the release of ChatGPT, we need to wonder: Will AI take over diplomatic reporting? 

Tuesday, 7th February, 14:00 UTC
(09:00 EDT | 15:00 CEST | 19:30 IST) 


Diplomatic reports summarise meetings and negotiations, analyse situations and identify trends, and propose further actions. In the history of diplomacy, the first embassy (Milan to Florence in 1450) and the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs (France in 1626) were established to serve as archives of diplomatic reports. In addition to internal diplomatic reports, reports are prepared for international organisations as records of the implementation of treaties, Agenda 2030, and other global initiatives. 

ChatGPT gave us a glimpse of the power of AI for drafting texts. The whole process of reporting – from a transcription of voice recordings to the summarising of text, to answering specific questions – can be performed by the AI. Off-the-shelf AI such as ChatGPT is not reliable yet. But, AI, which will be trained in the language and way of thinking of diplomats, can mimic a considerable part of diplomatic reporting. As we saw from ChatGPT, diplomats may have to develop new skills of ‘prompting’ in order to provide AI with a cognitive framework for drafting and summarising. 

How will AI affect diplomatic reporting? What will be the impact on the diplomatic profession? What would be a human role in ‘automated diplomatic reporting ’? 

Join diplomats, academics, and AI experts for an informed discussion on the current level of technology and future trends. You will also have a chance to hear about Diplo’s cutting-edge research on apps and tools for AI and diplomacy.

REGISTER

Contributors:

Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation and Head of Geneva

Ambassador Umej Bhatia, Singapore’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva

Irena Zubcevic, Senior Advisor to the Croatian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Liz Galvez, former British senior diplomat, and current Diplo senior fellow and lecturer

Diplo’s AI and Data Team

Moderator: 

Dr Katharina E. Höne (Director of Research, Diplo)

About our WebDebates

Our WebDebates on the future of diplomacy are live-streamed on the first Tuesday of every month. They are organised by Diplo within the framework of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training (IFDT). Learn more about our WebDebates series.

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AI as a Tool for Diplomacy and Mediation

By: DiploFoundation

Date: Tuesday, 17th May (11:30–13:00 UTC | 13:30–15:00 CEST)

Place: Geneva and online

Registration: 

1. Online participation (join via Zoom)

2. Participation in situ (IHEID – Petal 5 – Conference Centre C1 – map)

This year’s Science Diplomacy Week will take place in Geneva from 16 to 20 May. As part of the programme, Diplo is organising a hybrid event titled ’AI as a Tool for Diplomacy and Mediation’.

AI as a Tool for Diplomacy and Mediation

Diplo is proud to be part of the Geneva Coalition on Anticipatory Science and Diplomacy, a group of 14 Swiss and global institutions which are co-organising Science Diplomacy Week. 

As part of the session, participants will discuss the current and potential future uses of artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for diplomatic practice and peace mediation. The discussion will detail various applications of AI, in particular in the areas of natural-language processing and image recognition. 

Three key topics will be discussed:

  1. Which tools have been developed and demonstrated as pilot projects, and how do they impact the work of diplomats and mediators? 
  2. How can conversations between diplomatic practitioners and the developers of AI applications be facilitated for creating needs-oriented tools? 
  3. Why is it important to have this conversation now and what are some of the current and potential future challenges?

To further the discussion, the first part of the session will include an overview of various tools, such as Diplo’s Speech Generator which supports diplomats in drafting speeches in the area of cybersecurity.

Panellists:

  • Mr Sameer Chauhan (Director, UN International Computing Centre)
  • Dr Andreas Hirblinger (Postdoctoral Researcher, Center on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding, Graduate Institute, Geneva)
  • Dr Katharina Höne (Director of Research, Diplo)
  • Dr Jovan Kurbalija (Executive Director, Diplo; Head, Geneva Internet Platform (GIP))
  • Mr Marco Liuzzi (Chief, Operations Division, UN International Computing Centre)
  • Mr Jovan Njegić (Head, AI and Data Lab, Diplo)