32 JUNE 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL collaboration. Effective data tools, particularly those focused on the automation of routine tasks, can reclaim much of this lost time. In 2023, IO saved more than 600 labor hours and improved data quality by partially automating the quantitative portion of an annual congressional report on U.S. government financial contributions to international organizations. Currently, IO is also working on other automation efforts, including for communications, clearances, and public affairs activities to free up time for highvalue diplomatic work that is not easily replicated by machines. In addition to automation, dashboards—visual interfaces that display important data points—help supercharge the work of our modern diplomats. Well-crafted dashboards enable easy data sharing and analysis of real-time information in a consolidated, user-friendly format, saving time across working levels. The Bureau of International Organization Affairs has developed multiple dashboards, including those related to U.N. financial contributions and personnel, voting coincidence, peacekeeping, and more. These dashboards live on the IO Multilateral Data Center (a website internal to the department) and are available to all department staff. To date, they have been used effectively by overseas posts, IO’s missions to international organizations, and U.S. participants at the most recent U.N. General Assembly High Level Week. Generative language tools, such as ChatGPT, use AI to generate human-like text in response to input. Diplomats can save countless hours by using ChatGPT and similar tools for firstdraft writing of speeches, memos, cables, and other department documents. These tools are currently available for unclassified material but can be used for anything sensitive once they are approved for internal department use (one of many AI infrastructure approval difficulties detailed a little later). When diplomats use tools such as ChatGPT, it remains crucial that they critically review and refine the AI-generated drafts, ensuring that these reflect the nuanced understanding and strategic objectives unique to human diplomacy. Without this human review, the AI text may miss important reference material or provide incorrect information (known as an AI hallucination). Addressing big global challenges, meeting with foreign counterparts, representing U.S. interests and policies at international forums, negotiating treaties and resolutions, promoting positive relations and international cooperation between the United States and foreign countries, and fulfilling other core diplomatic functions cannot be replicated by machines. However, using AI can save time and enable diplomats to focus on the high-value work of diplomacy. Future State of Diplomacy 2: Maintaining our global strategic advantage over competitors. International challenges of today are often first addressed at the U.N., making it an enticing forum for our global competitors to actively engage in influence campaigns that run contrary to U.S. foreign policy goals. Effectively countering these influence campaigns and promoting democratic interests are crucially important. Advanced analytics and AI can allow the department to pinpoint where the United States should invest in strategic alliances and identify like-minded groups in the international fora, helping us build cohesion and coordinate voting. At IO, we have used AI to develop an application to review draft U.N. resolutions for problematic language that would undermine U.N. principles. This functionality will save staff countless hours that would otherwise be spent manually finding and flagging language contrary to U.S. interests; it also IO Assistant Secretary Michele Sison (left), Chief Data Officer Paula Osborn, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Brian Grimm spoke at the Secretary’s Open Forum on “Driving Strategic Multilateral Diplomacy Through Data” on June 8, 2023. COURTESY O F PAULA OSBORN
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