Conference on Artificial Intelligence in the Holocaust education, research and remembrance sector: Lord Pickles’ speech
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Chair Lord Pickles spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence on Holocaust education and remembrance.
Welcome to Lancaster House. It may seem very familiar to those who have watched the Crown or Sherlock Holmes. Lancaster House is often used to portray Buckingham Palace. Personally, I think Lancaster House is a much nicer, more comfy house. I am pleased you could all come today. I know it is a Sunday, but I think you will find it worthwhile.
Within the IHRA, we have been very aware of the impact of AI on Holocaust Education and Remembrance. And that should not come as a surprise to anyone. After all, we are a global community of governments and experts who focus on promoting, strengthening, and advancing Holocaust education, remembrance, and research.
Over the past 2 and a half decades, IHRA has safeguarded sites and challenged distortive narratives. Our experts are the backbone of everything we do. They fearlessly tackle complacency and warped misinformation. Coming to terms with AI should be no different.
One of the most graphic examples of this false narrative is the use of AI tools to create deepfakes.
As this decade progresses, the number of survivors who witnessed the Holocaust as children will move from contemporary memory into history. In anticipation of this, much effort is being made to secure testimony and protect archives. The very depth of this knowledge might be our Achilles’ heel.
You don’t need programming skills to create a deepfake. You can make it for free in less than 30 seconds using many free deepfake applications. We live in an era in which “seeing is no longer believing”.
The consequences of cheap, widespread fakery are likely to be profound. It is possible to imagine Holocaust survivor testimony being manipulated.
We may see Holocaust survivors with false words put into their mouths: the concentration camps were “not that bad”, “we had plenty of food”, and such like.
How do we meet this challenge?
The first thing we need to understand is that AI is here to stay and that governments will always be playing catch up to cheap, widely used AI.
The second thing is: we ourselves will use AI. We will use it to improve our archives, and to find links and connections. We will use it to improve training and teaching.
There are perhaps as many opportunities for us to embrace, as there are pitfalls. But we need to enhance AI literacy and research skills so that users know how to verify AI-produced texts. Today provides a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding.
We have gathered a range of experts in their field to discuss AI. While some of the speakers will speak of the dangers and the need for caution, others will focus on ethics. There will also be those that say AI is here to stay and we need to embrace it. That AI can be a force for good.
There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. I hope this conference will kickstart a discussion on AI within the working groups and committees.
Let today mark a new chapter in our efforts – one where we confront the realities of AI with the same resolve and collaboration that define IHRA’s work.
I wish you all the very best.