The 18th U.N. Internet Governance Forum kicked off Oct. 8 in Kyoto, Japan, with over 6,000 onsite participants from 178 countries and more than 3,000 online participants. Themed The Internet We Want - Empowering All People, the five-day event brought together diverse stakeholders to foster innovation and the development of public policies on the internet.

On Day 0 of IGF, Digital Minister Audrey Tang took part in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet: Principles to Action session. This continues Taiwan's involvement from May 2022, when she signed the DFI along with representatives from more than 60 democratic partners worldwide.

During the session, Tom Fifield – an advisor with the National Institute of Cyber Security and a 2020-naturalized citizen – shared Taiwan’s digital perspectives on-site. These included cybersecurity, internet infrastructure, satellite ground stations and the role of DFI principles in delivering digital resilience for all.

Fifield is part of a three-member NICS delegation attending IGF in an effort to expand Taiwan’s international engagement, strengthen joint cybersecurity efforts and show how Taiwan can help free the future through AI-focused deliberative democracy initiatives such as The Collective Intelligence-partnered Alignment Assemblies. 

Later the same day, Tang – in her capacity as NICS chair – led the Digital Democracy in the Age of AI forum. Hosted by NICS and CIP, the event attracted government officials from DFI countries, representatives of Meta, and civil society.

Saffron Huang, CIP co-founder, shared her collaboration with OpenAI and Anthropic on Alignment Assemblies. She also underscored the pressing need to co-create a trustworthy artificial intelligence environment.

In addition, NICS Advisor Gisele Chou introduced Taiwan’s AI Evaluation and Certification Center. Set for establishment by year-end, AIECC aims to bring democratic partners together and shift the focus of AI development from a race to capability to a race to safety, promptly addressing potential risks associated with AI and supporting inclusive societal innovation.

Since its inception in 2006, the IGF has been a core forum for U.N. digital policy development. It seeks to build the internet into a preserve of freedom, human rights and mutual trust – a goal in sync with IGF efforts to mitigate threats arising from emerging technologies like AI.