Press Release - The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) to Officially Launch at 2023 Nobel Prize Summit
May 23, 2023 – Zürich, Switzerland – The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE), a new, independent global science organization committed to providing actionable scientific knowledge about threats to the world’s information environment, today announced its official launch at the Nobel Prize Summit 2023 – Truth, Trust and Hope, May 24-26 in Washington D.C.
IPIE brings together an unprecedented consortium of researchers from around the world as a global scientific effort to analyze systems of information manipulation and bias, provide neutral assessments on the condition of the global information environment and evaluate the best policy solutions for addressing threats to it.
IPIE was conceived at the Nobel Prize Summit 2021 and has been independently organized by researchers from around the world since then. The organization’s official launch will:
- Introduce IPIE, its first 200+ affiliates, panels and research agenda to the world
- Unveil new research findings from two soon-to-be-released original IPIE reports, including:
- Global Information Environment Trends 2023: An Expert Survey – A report that summarizes the hopes and fears of analysts working around the world. The report identifies areas of most pressing concern for action by policymakers and the technology industry and areas in which more research and evidence are needed to fully understand the scope of problems and the likely solutions to those problems.
- Platform Responses to Misleading Information – A multi-disciplinary synthesis that evaluates over 4,500 scientific research papers produced by investigators from every continent, including countries where algorithmic manipulation and bias cost lives and livelihoods. The report identifies evidence about how to improve the information environment. The intent is to help global policy leaders to more rapidly identify, test and/or implement the most promising solutions.
- Give those attending the Summit, as well as those observing from around the world, an opportunity to meet the organization’s leaders, experts, partners and one another.
“The multifaceted crises we face, as a result of the massive manipulation of the world’s information environment, is a global problem that is costing billions of dollars and millions of lives as it exacerbates existing social problems, degrades public life, cripples humanitarian initiatives and prevents progress on other serious threats,” said IPIE co-founder and executive director of the IPIE Secretariat Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb. “The promising news is, grounded in science, our ongoing work is dedicated to equipping those responsible for driving global change with the actionable knowledge needed to counteract the global and existential threat posed by the widespread manipulation of our world’s information environment.”
Dr. Philip N. Howard, a Professor at the University of Oxford, is the co-founder and Chair of the International Panel on the Information Environment. Himelfarb, Howard, and four other IPIE leaders from around the world will present on all three days of this year’s summit.
Said Howard, “Throughout our presentations at the Nobel Summit, we will explain how pushing the boundaries of applied and basic science can help us overcome the problems that arise from the complex information systems that manage our social and personal lives. We will highlight examples of how good science is already uncovering ways to raise digital literacy, design more ethical AI systems, and set the standards for a healthy global information environment.”
IPIE’s talks at Nobel Prize Summit 2023 include:
- A FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE – Led by Howard and Himelfarb, this discussion will dive into how we can respond to the crises of algorithmic manipulation, bias and misinformation and introduce IPIE for the very first time.
- COLLABORATION AMIDST COMPLEXITY During this talk, Himelfarb, Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2011; John Momoh, CEO of Nigeria Channels TV; Sanjiv Ahuja, chairman and founder Tillman Global Holdings and Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations will discuss how to achieve a global information environment that promotes human progress rather than impeding it will require collaboration across disciplines, languages and political cultures.
- PROJECT HOPE – During this breakout session, Howard, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Ph.D. – Vice Chair, IPIE Scientific Panel (Canada), Sebastián Valenzuela, Ph.D. – Chair, IPIE Scientific Panel (Chile) and Young Mie Kim, Ph.D. – Vice Chair, IPIE Methodology Panel (South Korea / USA) will provide a deep dive into exciting new research findings that the IPIE’s Consulting Scientists have produced. The findings showcase how we can use technology design and public policy oversight, together, to build a healthier information environment. Danaë Metaxa, Ph.D. and Safiya Noble, Ph.D. will join this breakout session as discussants.
When the 2023 Nobel Prize Summit was announced, Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, and Marcia McNutt, President of the US National Academy of Sciences, discussed why this year’s focus on “Truth, Trust and Hope” is so critical – stressing disinformation’s perilous impact on society.
Stated Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, “We know that misinformation and disinformation are undermining public trust in science, scientists, and the institutions they serve. It is important to shed light on that issue and not least to look at how we can combat it and how we can build on what works in terms of trust and truth. IPIE is one of the initiatives taking a research-based approach to this challenge, and we are delighted that they are launching their initiative at the Nobel Prize Summit.”
“Our Nobel Prize Summits are intended to spark evidence-based solutions from all sectors of society that will help create a more hopeful future for all,” said U.S. National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. "We are pleased that IPIE is engaging international researchers in the fight against misinformation and in building trust in science.”
To learn more about the IPIE, please visit www.IPIE.info and/or contact secretariat@IPIE.info.
About the IPIE
The Swiss-based International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) is an independent and global science organization committed to providing the most actionable scientific knowledge about threats to the world’s information environment. The mission of the IPIE is to provide policymakers, industry, and civil society with independent scientific assessments on the global information environment by organizing, evaluating, and elevating research, with the broad aim of improving the global information environment. Hundreds of leading scientists from around the world contribute to IPIE’s research and outputs. www.IPIE.info
Contact:
- Lana McGilvray, founder and CEO, Purpose Worldwide for IPIE, lana@purposenorthamerica.com, + 1 512-970-8310
- Sydney Dennen, Junior Partner, Purpose Worldwide for IPIE, sydney@purposeworldwide.com, +1 616-648-9176