RECLAIMING AI SAFETY
& SECURITY
FOR THE PEOPLE

Official Statement

We are disappointed by the cancellation of RightsCon and the massive disruption to months of planning by many smaller community-based organizations like ours. We support Access Now and share their commitment to universal human and digital rights for all. We will not let this incident weaken our resolve to ensure equitable representation from Global Majority countries in critical AI discourse and decisions.

We live in times of great political uncertainty and economic precarity. We are extremely concerned about the growing technological risks to human dignity and agency. We believe this interruption is an opportunity to reflect, regroup as a global digital rights community, and stand together as a strong united front. Our resilience and steadfastness are our greatest strengths as we represent our communities on the global stage.

We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Access Now, other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and governments across Africa to build a safe and secure AI future that belongs to all of us.

In solidarity,
WAIE+ Community

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Why This Event?

Dominant western narratives about AI Safety are focused on existential risks and threats from “rogue” Artificial Super-Intelligence (AGI). This centering of imagined catastrophes of the future deflects attention and resources away from present-day dangers faced by our communities.

The AI safety monoculture stifles our ability for critical thinking, slows down the development of meaningful AI guardrails, and prevents us from building community-inclusive solutions. It has led to ethical blind spots, which have eroded the public's trust in these technologies and curbed governments' ability to address critical threats posed by powerful AI companies. Grok AI is a recent example of how developers of these technologies are profiting from AI-enabled digital violence and sexualization of women, young girls, and even children.

At our special convening at RightsCon, we will reclaim the AI safety and security space for the community. We will share our latest research on the public's trust of AI tools and the companies that build them, along with expert strategies and resources to keep us safe in this AI age.