Pre-recorded remarks from digital minister shown at Seoul summit

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) Pre-recorded remarks from Digital Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳) were shown at the three-day Summit for Democracy in Seoul earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

Tang's address, "Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies: Right-Respecting Innovation in Democratic Societies," was shown during a roundtable Monday afternoon, MOFA said.

The digital minister used her remarks to touch on how Taiwan's Jan. 13 legislative and presidential elections provided evidence of interference by authoritarian actors.

Tang said that Taiwan faced the "serious threat" of a disproportionately high number of cyberattacks.

To tackle this, the Ministry of Digital Affairs has beefed up security for critical infrastructure and key websites through drills and tests, Tang added.

Aside from the efforts made by the central government, Tang noted that the crowdsourced platform "Cofacts" played a key role in addressing fake news and cyberattacks.

As nearly 40 countries holding elections this year, AI could amplify risks via deepfakes, echo chambers and micro-targeting, Tang warned.

Tang concluded by expressing hope that Taiwan's AI-related regulations will be incorporated into global common standards soon, further enhancing the country's position as a reliable and trustworthy partner.

Taiwan's top representative to Korea Liang Kuang-chung (梁光中) attended the event in person, according to MOFA.

Meanwhile, in delivering his address titled "Building A More Resilient Information Environment" during the opening day of the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Bliken praised Taiwan for teaching its seniors how to spot misleading messages, MOFA said.

Taiwan has been invited to the U.S.-launched Summit for Democracy since its inaugural edition in 2021 to promote democratic values and to demonstrate how democracies better serve their people, MOFA said.

According to a statement on the U.S. State Department's website, more than 70 nations have endorsed the summit's Declaration for Democracy.