Maldives Urges Ethical Deployment of AI to Foster Cross-Cultural Understanding
- Maldivian Minister Heena Waleed urged ethical AI deployment to foster cross-cultural understanding rather than entrenching division and bias.
- She demanded fair digital representation for smaller languages like Dhivehi, regardless of native speaker population size.
- She called for cross-sector collaboration and education to counter online stereotypes and interrogate machine-generated content.
The Maldivian government has urged the international community to steer artificial intelligence towards fostering mutual human understanding rather than entrenching social division and prejudice.
Speaking at the seventh World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Azerbaijan, the Maldivian Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Heena Waleed, warned that algorithms built on incomplete datasets and historical biases risk magnifying systemic discrimination worldwide.
Addressing a joint ministerial gathering under the forum’s banner, “Dialogue for a Shared Future: Building Bridges in a Fractured World”, Minister Heena stated that digital infrastructure alone cannot ensure social cohesion. Instead, she argued that genuine cohesion requires rigorous critical enquiry, ethical technological adoption, and cross-cultural dialogue.
The Minister aligned her remarks with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s “Maldives 2.0” development strategy, which sets national development goals through 2040. She observed that sustainable technological advancement must advance alongside artistic and cultural initiatives to cultivate an equitable society.
Minister Heena also demanded fair digital representation for smaller linguistic and cultural communities, specifically highlighting the Dhivehi language. She argued that tech developers must not measure a language’s digital presence solely by the population size of its native speakers, maintaining that Maldivians have an equal claim to shape emerging technologies.
To prevent the spread of harmful online stereotypes, the Minister proposed closer cross-sector collaboration among national governments, software engineers, universities, and civil society groups. She also recommended that educational institutions equip younger generations with the analytical tools needed to interrogate machine-generated content and recognise its limitations.
Minister Heena concluded that while emerging technologies may drive technical innovation, fundamental human principles—grounded in shared responsibility, discernment, and mutual respect—must direct global society.
