The government is conducting intensive training for state officials which aims to improve their ability to respond to fake news and misinformation in the public domain.
A workshop was held last week at the council of ministers, with a focus on combating fake news and improving cyber-security, especially in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
Chea Vandeth, Minister of Post and Telecommunications, explained that the government is paying close attention to using technology as a driver of productivity in the digital age, as stated in phase one of its Pentagonal Strategy.
He said Prime Minister Hun Manet recently instructed all state ministries and institutions to be more active in streamlining the flow of information, especially when it comes to showcasing their achievements to the public and rapid responses to fake news and misinformation.
“We need to examine effective ways of controlling fake news, as it can cause societal unrest and have a detrimental effect on people’s livelihoods,” he added.
Tep Asnarith, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, said that the workshop was held to educate government officials of how AI was used by some groups to create fake news, and give them the skills to counter such activity.
“The workshop encouraged officials to pay closer attention to maintaining political and social stability, which is necessary to protect peace, the pillar for national economic development,” he added.
Pen Bona, head of the Government Spokesperson Unit, warned that if AI is used in the wrong way by bad actors, it could pose a serious threat to social stability.
“AI can be used to create sounds and images, and even video, which looks realistic. It is also possible for it to create content which appears to be of a specific person. This could present unique challenges, if it used to create fake news. It is very important that government officials are aware of this technology, and know how to respond to it,” he said.
