Because the conflict of narratives on-line turns into extra intense with every passing day, the “Hack the Hate – Israeli Tech Against Online Antisemitism” convention, created and arranged by the 8200 Alumni Affiliation and Generative AI for Good, couldn’t have come at a greater time.
The convention, which passed off on September 10 in Tel Aviv, hosted not solely the most effective and brightest minds working within the subject of AI but in addition noticed diplomats performing as overseas ambassadors, politicians, and main trade gamers all gathered collectively, going through the identical realization – that this downside does not belong to the Jewish state alone, and that the battle begins right here.
Main corporations and organizations, corresponding to Microsoft, Financial institution Hapoalim, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, the World Zionist Group, the UJA Federation of New York, Gesher Management Institute, and Group 9500, had been among the many convention companions.
Chen Shmilo, CEO of the 8200 Alumni Affiliation, opened the convention together with his firsthand accounts of the profound penalties of on-line antisemitism throughout a go to to New York. “It does not stay confined to our on-line world,” he mentioned, “it manifests in real-world actions towards our individuals on campuses and within the streets.” Shmilo described the really worrying ease with which an opinion will be established on-line: “It takes solely 15 seconds to make one particular person hater one other,” and added, “This battle is a contemporary model of David versus Goliath. As soon as once more, [Israelis] have boldness, creativity, and a agency perception that we are able to knock down this evil.”
In her opening remarks, CEO and founding father of Generative AI for Good Shiran Mlamdovsky Somech acknowledged: “Earlier than October 7, antisemitism felt distant to me, however after experiencing the most brutal massacre for the reason that Holocaust and witnessing a surge of world antisemitism at an unimaginable scale, it turned clear that we are actually going through a brand new actuality.”
Mlamdovsky Somech shared the belief concerning the character of the hate she witnessed on-line and the way it was something however spontaneous: “These forces have a long-term technique and huge assets … enemies not simply of the Jewish individuals, however of the free world as a complete… they’re weaponizing the brand new participant within the on-line battlefield, AI expertise, making hate much more scalable and harmful.” “Right here in Israel,” she added, “now we have a novel alternative to turn into a world hub for combating hate by way of expertise. Our secret weapon? Now we have no different place to go.”
The convention included two predominant panels. The primary panel, moderated by Aviv Frenkel, Co-Founder and CEO of Moonshot AI, featured Rafi Mendelsohn, VP Advertising of Cyabra; Ella Keinan, Founding father of Brilliant Thoughts and content material creator; Shirona Partem, Co-Founding father of Amplify; and Michael Matias, Co-Founder and CEO of Make clear. The panel’s key focus was on the ability generative AI, and different applied sciences maintain when combating disinformation, deepfake, and hate speech, together with antisemitism.
The second panel, moderated by Inbal Orpaz, Strategic Innovation Guide and Researcher, shifted the main focus from cybersecurity to EdTech and funding, exploring how academic applied sciences can fight hate and promote tolerance and what are the fundraising choices for the brand new tech corporations. The members included Ally Gollan, Common Accomplice of 6Star Capital; Dr. Yael Richler Friedman, Pedagogical Director at The Worldwide Institute for Holocaust Training, Yad Vashem; Elad Har Zahav, Head of Enterprise Improvement at Poalim Tech, and Or Gorodissky, VP of R&D at D-ID. Gorodissky mentioned how his firm makes use of generative AI to teach and lift consciousness. One instance he cited was a collaboration with MyHeritage and official organizations, the place D-ID’s expertise was used to create AI-generated movies in a number of languages to broaden the attain of vital info.
Collectively, these panels demonstrated the immense potential of each cybersecurity and EdTech in addressing the rising threats of hate, antisemitism, and misinformation. By proactive cybersecurity measures and impactful academic content material, the tech industry and AI can play a major function in fostering tolerance and safeguarding towards dangerous ideologies.
Eran Yariv, Accomplice Group Engineering Supervisor at Microsoft AI, Israel, additionally gave his personal fascinating insights concerning using deepfake and its risks. Concluding with optimism, Yariv reassured the viewers, promising that deepfake expertise wasn’t wholly malevolent and that, with correct use, it might turn into a part of the answer. The convention concluded with startup pitches targeted on preventing on-line hate as Brinker and Civilian Intelligence Middle.
The demand for “Hack the Hate” proved immense as friends poured into the convention venue. Amongst different members had been Yossi Vardi, a key chief within the Israeli tech trade; Shirel Dagan-Levy, CEO of Voice of the Individuals (the president Initiative) Carol Nuriel, Senior Regional Director, Israel, the Center East and North Africa; anti-defamation League Dorit Dor, the CTO of CheckPoint; Nir Lempert, Chairman at Mer Industries Ltd and 8200 Alumni Affiliation. , main influencers in addition to the ambassadors for Singapore, Austria, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.
“In some unspecified time in the future,” Mlamdovsky Somech shared, “Safety needed to ship individuals house.” “It appears that evidently we touched an uncovered nerve, there is a widespread understanding that we’re going through world safety threats, and other people need to assist. Nevertheless, many are unsure about how greatest to contribute” It’s a name for motion, and that is simply step one, she concluded.
