Good local time. I am Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s digital minister.

It is a tremendous honor and privilege to once again fly the flag for Taiwan at the Summit for Democracy. The third edition of this global gathering of like-minded partners is of great importance given the challenges posed by AI and emerging technologies. The question we must all tackle is this: How best to foster right-respecting innovation in democratic societies?

In Taiwan, we believe the answer lies in our unshakeable belief in the power of co-creation to shape outcomes for the collective good. Case in point is our January elections — bad actors in the pay of authoritarians pulled out all stops, coming close to poisoning our information climate and interfering in the outcome.

But the government and people of all political persuasions stood as one in derailing insidious efforts to sow the seeds of division and discord. I am proud to say that in a year of balloting worldwide, we ably demonstrated what can be achieved by doubling down on democracy to free the future — together.

In the face of an alarming surge in cyberattacks, my Ministry of Digital Affairs, or the moda, unleashed a comprehensive defense. The stakes could not have been higher as Taiwan suffers a disproportionately high number of cyberattacks. These increased by more than six times year over year, and more than 33 times compared to the same quarter in 2022.

Our robust response ensured the stable operation of critical infrastructure and key websites through rigorous drills and tests. The 24/7 rapid response team and front-line monitoring proved effective, resulting in a 22 percent drop in DDoS incidents.

Another secret to our success was “pre-bunking” — a process in which poisons of the mind are treated before going viral. The point is to foster mutual trust instead of simply correcting facts. Research shows that a good prebunk explains tactics used to manipulate and has far-reaching benefits. By learning to recognize these tactics, the people are empowered to mount robust defenses.

Cofacts, a crowdsourced platform, also played a key role. Malicious and innocent reports alike were analyzed and assessed on the basis of accuracy and persuasiveness. With the assistance of real-time AI clarifications deployed by the g0v community, the people can make informed judgements on the veracity of content.

By supporting innovation in an open and transparent manner, with full respect to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its covenants, we are building bridges and finding solutions at home and abroad. After all, no democracy is an island — not even Taiwan.

With nearly 40 other countries holding elections this year, AI could amplify risks via deepfakes, echo chambers and micro-targeting. Extremism, polarization, and isolation, magnified by social media, are reshaping geopolitics.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is willing and able to work with all stakeholders in ensuring AI develops safely and sustainably. A democratic approach, not a technocratic one, is optimal for addressing this ethical, political and societal conundrum.

To this end, we are advancing Alignment Assemblies with The Collective Intelligence Project and world-class partners such as Anthropic, OpenAI, The GovLab and GETTING-Plurality research network. We have invited hundreds of thousands of everyday citizens to co-govern AI in the context of information integrity: Protecting users from harms; detecting and labeling AI content; requiring digital signatures for advertisers; making AI systems transparent; implementing citizen oversight of fact-checking and ongoing monitoring of AI incidents.

Deliberation strengthens societal resilience. In time, our AI norms will become part of the gold standard, further advancing Taiwan’s standing as a reliable and trusted partner. This is just one of the many ways Taiwan can help defend democracy by curing the ills of authoritarianism and building better tomorrows for all.

Blessings for your attention. Let’s cooperate closely in making 2024 a year of the democratic bounceback in which freedom, human rights and peace are advanced for all. Live long and … prosper!