Speakers
Susan Aboeid
Coordinator for the Arms Division, Human Rights Watch
Marwa Fatafta
MENA Policy and Advocacy Director, Access Now
Mark Owen Jones
Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, Hamad bin Khalifa University
Laura Nolan
Member of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC)
Moderator
William Youmans
Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
About the webinar
In times of major global events such as conflicts, health and natural disasters, and elections, repressive regimes and political actors worldwide leverage technologies to conduct warfare and influence public opinion. As the need for information grows, disinformation spreads rapidly across digital platforms. Additionally, AI-assisted tools have enabled the automation of warfare and human rights abuses.
Israel’s recent war on Gaza after October 7 has exposed the myriad methods of digital dehumanization and deception that can result in tech-driven atrocities and justifications for war crimes. Whether it is political influence operations, propaganda, deep fakes, biometric surveillance, predictive policing, or autonomous weapons, the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and disinformation are far-reaching. Arab Center Washington DC and the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University are convening a panel of experts to discuss the roles and threats of emerging technologies during major global crises.
Image credit: Shutterstock/Skorzewiak
