Artificial Intelligence and Digital Diplomacy

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the required use of social media by diplomats and aims to understand how they operationalize this strong but blurred injunction from their hierarchy. Participating in conversations, debates and engaging with the public, giving opinion, showing pictures or videos, sharing or commenting news or anniversaries, the concrete interpretation of the visibility injunction can take various forms that may be close or quasi antinomic to the essence of social media. Secrecy and caution are especially part of the decision process of publishing content on social media, leading diplomats to try and find a balance between constant visibility in the public sphere and protection of sensitive issues. Based on interviews with several diplomats in Brussels, Paris and Kiev, in particular public affairs officers in embassies as well as in missions to the European Union, our chapter draws their representation of the social media communication constraint, how they include or not evaluation and reflexive steps in their practice, what expectations