Interview
After participating in Internet Governance Forum, how would you newly define “digital dystopia?” Conversely, what gave you a sense of hope after you participated?
Reimann: The Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance. Governments, tech companies, and nongovernmental organizations come together to discuss how the internet is governed and how it should develop—as partners and on equal footing.
The internet, and especially AI, offers vast opportunities, including for countries in the Global South. But to fully benefit, they must be on a level playing field.
At the Internet Governance Forum, there were discussions about how to better include the global majority. To me, it would be a dystopia if the internet were governed solely by the interests of one country and its tech companies.
Unfortunately, statements by representatives of the US government point in the direction that the United States wants to dominate the development of AI and prioritize the interests of its tech industry. China is also seeking to control the internet, so the outlook for an open, inclusive digital future is uncertain.
What gives me hope? The internet was designed not to be controlled centrally. At the Internet Governance Forum, voices calling for collaboration and inclusion were present and clearly visible. There are also governments that support the multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance—and who are unwilling to be bullied.
What kinds of questions did people ask you and what did you learn from the nature of those questions?
Reimann: To me, the presence of representatives from the Global South—both nongovernmental organizations and governments—at the Internet Governance Forum was encouraging. The internet and technologies connected to it hold enormous potential.
But important questions remain: Will the global majority be meaningfully represented in future developments? Will large language models draw sufficient training data from non-Western countries? How will minority rights be respected? How can cultural bias be mitigated in AI?
It is striking that the experiences of the Sami people in Northern Scandinavia echo those of minority language speakers in parts of Africa. How can technology become more inclusive?
And the overarching question is: How can we make the Internet and AI more accessible to the global majority?
Why should churches be involved in digital justice?
Reimann: In a world that is increasingly digital, where offline and online spaces converge, justice cannot be limited to the nondigital sphere. If we are serious about justice, we need a holistic approach. If churches are actively engaged in promoting peace, justice, and the integrity of creation, this commitment must also include digital justice.
Internet governance is a key area where digital justice can be either advanced or undermined. Therefore, churches and their aid organizations should take an active role in promoting fair regulations for internet and AI access, and work to reduce discrimination in digital spaces.