‘Digital Dilemmas’ exhibition raises concerns about AI in warfare
A scene from the "Digital Dilemmas — Civilians a+ Heart" exhibition on display at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul's Yongsan District. Courtesy of ICRC Mission in Seoul
By Bereket Alemayehu
New technological advances bring digital risks that carry real-life consequences. That's the message of an exhibition currently on display at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul's Yongsan District.
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Korea co-organized the exhibition "Digital Dilemmas — Civilians a+ Heart" which opened on Aug. 30.
The exhibition explores the continued relevance of the Geneva Conventions today, ratified by 196 states, which contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war, and led to the birth of modern international humanitarian law (IHL).
The immersive multimedia installation at the heart of this exhibition, "Digital Dilemmas," examines digital technology’s impacts on civilians in crisis situations and the work of humanitarian organizations, as well as showcases Switzerland's ongoing commitment to global peace and security.
"We have about 120 wars around the world right now, and we have seen for the last 15 years big evolutions with the impact of digital technologies being used," Philippe Stoll, senior techplomacy delegate of the ICRC, said during a media tour on Sept. 12. "For us, when we see this evolution, we want to create something that makes people think, because we need new norms, and new standards so that the effect of war on the population is minimal.”
Stoll's work is at the intersection between governments, academia, humanitarianism and the private sector to better protect people affected by armed conflicts from the impacts of cyberwarfare, digital surveillance, online hate speech, privacy and autonomous weapon systems. He also focuses on ensuring the ethical and principled use of technology by humanitarian organizations. Passionate about making these issues more concrete, he created the "Digital Dilemmas" immersive experience and co-produced an online course titled Humanitarian Action in the Digital Space.
Philippe Stoll poses during a media tour of the "Digital Dilemmas — Civilians a+ Heart" exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Sept. 12. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu
The installation was introduced in 2019 during a conference in Geneva. Since then, it has been shown in about 40 locations around the world, including U.N. headquarters in New York in May 2023. It also exists in the form of a website in four languages, where visitors explore issues such as disinformation, data protection, surveillance, biometrics, AI and deepfakes, among others. Organizers said that more than half a million people have experienced it worldwide.
"This is something we do all around the world to try to have countries sign agreements to say they are not going to use AI, for example, which targets human beings," he said. "We hope that today the use of AI in weapons is still at the beginning and we hope to ban it.”
In his 20 years working at the ICRC, Stoll has managed strategic and public communications, and was based in Sierra Leone, Israel and the Occupied Territories and India, and conducted field missions in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Lebanon and Ethiopia. He was deployed in Ukraine in March and April 2022 for a support mission to respond to misinformation campaigns against the ICRC. The exhibition is planned to continue its world tour to pass on its message, that digital risks have real-life consequences.
Visitors look at the Data Detox Bar during a media tour of the "Digital Dilemmas — Civilians a+ Heart" exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Sept. 12. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu
The ICRC, established in 1863, is the world’s longest-running and largest international humanitarian organization. It is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate under the Geneva Conventions. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering. The ICRC is at the origin of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recogntion of its humanitarian activities. With its headquarters in Geneva, about 19,000 ICRC personnel are working in over 100 countries around the world.
The exhibition also underscores Switzerland's ongoing commitment to global peace and security, highlighting its role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula through its inaugural participation in an international peace support operation as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission.
The "Digital Dilemmas — Civilians a+ Heart" exhibition is on display at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul's Yongsan District. Courtesy of ICRC Mission in Seoul
The exhibition's partners — the Korean Red Cross and Korea International Cooperation Agency — are also showcasing how they approach humanitarian action and innovation in their relief and development projects. It was sponsored by the Korea War Memorial Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss Confederation and the Swiss Fund Korea.
The exhibition coincides with the Summit on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM), which was held in Seoul on Sept. 9 and 10 to enhance understanding of the responsible development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain and to contribute to the establishment of related international norms.
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"Digital Dilemmas" runs until Nov. 16. Visit digital-dilemmas.icrc.org for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.