Freedom of expression Archives | Page 8 of 66

Summit in India hears call for safe AI

The UN Secretary General has warned that AI must augment human potential rather than replace it, speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, he urged investment in workers so that technology strengthens, rather than displaces, human capacity.

In New Delhi, he cautioned that AI could deepen inequality, amplify bias and fuel harm if left unchecked. He called for stronger safeguards to protect people from exploitation and insisted that no child should be exposed to unregulated AI systems.

Environmental concerns also featured prominently in New Delhi, with Guterres highlighting rising energy and water demands from data centres. He urged a shift to clean power and warned against transferring environmental costs to vulnerable communities.

The UN chief proposed a $3 billion Global Fund on AI to build skills, data access and affordable computing worldwide. In New Delhi, he argued that broader access is essential to prevent countries from being excluded from the AI age and to ensure AI supports sustainable development goals.

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Microsoft outlines challenges in verifying AI-generated media

In an era of deepfakes and AI-manipulated content, determining what is real online has become increasingly complex. Microsoft’s report Media Integrity and Authentication reviews current verification methods, their limits, and ways to boost trust in digital media.

The study emphasises that no single solution can prevent digital deception. Techniques such as provenance tracking, watermarking, and digital fingerprinting can provide useful context about a media file’s origin, creation tools, and whether it has been altered.

Microsoft has pioneered these technologies, cofounding the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to standardise media authentication globally.

The report also addresses the risks of sociotechnical attacks, where even subtle edits can manipulate authentication results to mislead the public.

Researchers explored how provenance information can remain durable and reliable across different environments, from high-security systems to offline devices, highlighting the challenge of maintaining consistent verification.

As AI-generated or edited content becomes commonplace, secure media provenance is increasingly important for news outlets, public figures, governments, and businesses.

Reliable provenance helps audiences spot manipulated content, with ongoing research guiding clearer, practical verification displays for the public.

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UNESCO expands multilingual learning through LearnBig

The LearnBig digital application is expanding access to learning, with UNESCO supporting educational materials in national and local languages instead of relying solely on dominant teaching languages.

A project that aligns with International Mother Language Day and reflects long-standing research showing that children learn more effectively when taught in languages they understand from an early age.

The programme supports communities along the Thailand–Myanmar border, where children gain literacy and numeracy skills in both Thai and their mother tongues.

Young learners can make more substantial academic progress with this approach, which allows them to remain connected to their cultural identity rather than being pushed into unfamiliar linguistic environments. More than 2,000 digital books are available in languages such as Karen, Myanmar, and Pattani Malay.

LearnBig was developed within the ‘Mobile Literacy for Out-of-School Children’ programme, backed by partners including Microsoft, True Corporation, POSCO 1% Foundation and the Ministry of Education of Thailand.

An initiative by UNESCO that has reached more than 526,000 learners, with young people in Yala using tablets to access digital books, while learners in Mae Hong Son study through content presented in their local languages.

The project illustrates the potential of digital innovation to bridge linguistic, social, and geographic divides.

By supporting children who often fall outside formal education systems, LearnBig demonstrates how technology can help build a more inclusive and equitable learning environment rather than reinforcing existing barriers.

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Macron calls Europe safe space for AI

French President Emmanuel Macron told the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that Europe would remain a safe space for AI innovation and investment. Speaking in New Delhi, he said the European Union would continue shaping global AI rules alongside partners such as India.

Macron pointed to the EU AI Act, adopted in 2024, as evidence that Europe can regulate emerging technologies and AI while encouraging growth. In New Delhi, he claims that oversight would not stifle innovation but ensure responsible development, but not much evidence to back it up.

The French leader said that France is doubling the number of AI scientists and engineers it trains, with startups creating tens of thousands of jobs. He added in New Delhi that Europe aims to combine competitiveness with strong guardrails.

Macron also highlighted child protection as a G7 priority, arguing in New Delhi that children must be shielded from AI driven digital abuse. Europe, he said, intends to protect society while remaining open to investment and cooperation with India.

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Anthropic seeks deeper AI cooperation with India

The chief executive of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, has said India can play a central role in guiding global responses to the security and economic risks linked to AI.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, he argued that the world’s largest democracy is well placed to become a partner and leader in shaping the responsible development of advanced systems.

Amodei explained that Anthropic hopes to work with India on the testing and evaluation of models for safety and security. He stressed growing concern over autonomous behaviours that may emerge in advanced systems and noted the possibility of misuse by individuals or governments.

He pointed to the work of international and national AI safety institutes as a foundation for joint efforts and added that the economic effect of AI will be significant and that India and the wider Global South could benefit if policymakers prepare early.

Through its Economic Futures programme and Economic Index, Anthropic studies how AI reshapes jobs and labour markets.

He said the company intends to expand information sharing with Indian authorities and bring economists, labour groups, and officials into regular discussions to guide evidence-based policy instead of relying on assumptions.

Amodei said AI is set to increase economic output and that India is positioned to influence emerging global frameworks. He signalled a strong interest in long-term cooperation that supports safety, security, and sustainable growth.

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India unveils MANAV Vision as new global pathway for ethical AI

Narendra Modi presented the new MANAV Vision during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, setting out a human-centred direction for AI.

He described the framework as rooted in moral guidance, transparent oversight, national control of data, inclusive access and lawful verification. He argued that the approach is intended to guide global AI governance for the benefit of humanity.

The Prime Minister of India warned that rapid technological change requires stronger safeguards and drew attention to the need to protect children. He also said societies are entering a period where people and intelligent systems co-create and evolve together instead of functioning in separate spheres.

He pointed to India’s confidence in its talent and policy clarity as evidence of a growing AI future.

Modi announced that three domestic companies introduced new AI models and applications during the summit, saying the launches reflect the energy and capability of India’s young innovators.

He invited technology leaders from around the world to collaborate by designing and developing in India instead of limiting innovation to established hubs elsewhere.

The summit brought together policymakers, academics, technologists and civil society representatives to encourage cooperation on the societal impact of artificial intelligence.

As the first global AI summit held in the Global South, the gathering aligned with India’s national commitment to welfare for all and the wider aspiration to advance AI for humanity.

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Reddit’s human creators remain popular amid surge of AI content

According to reporting by the BBC, Reddit is seeing renewed growth as users seek human interaction in an online environment increasingly filled with AI-generated content.

Reddit reported 116 million daily active users globally, marking a 19% year-on-year increase in its most recent third quarter.

The platform, historically associated with tech-oriented male users, has become more demographically balanced. Women now account for more than 50% of users in both the US and UK, and the platform is reportedly the fastest-growing social network among UK women.

Reddit operates through user-created communities known as subreddits, where posts are ranked by upvotes rather than chronological order. Volunteer moderators manage individual communities, while company administrators can intervene when necessary.

Chief Operating Officer Jen Wong said Reddit has preserved ‘human authenticity’ amid AI-driven content that has crowded the internet. Popular discussion areas include parenting, skincare, reality television, and deeply personal experiences such as pregnancy or hair loss, topics where peer perspectives and lived experience are valued.

However, experts caution that Reddit faces governance challenges. Dr Yusuf Oc of Bayes Business School notes that upvote systems can reward consensus rather than factual accuracy, potentially reinforcing echo chambers, groupthink, and coordinated manipulation tactics such as brigading and astroturfing. Moderation quality may vary across communities due to reliance on volunteers.

Reddit has also signed data licensing agreements with AI companies, including OpenAI, allowing tools such as ChatGPT to access Reddit content. A study commissioned by Reddit found it to be the most cited source across AI search tools, including Google AI Overviews and Perplexity.

Analysts suggest these agreements increase visibility but are not necessarily the primary driver of user growth. The article situates Reddit’s rise within a broader shift toward platforms perceived as offering candid, less polished discussion in contrast to influencer-driven or AI-generated content ecosystems.

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Government ramps up online safety for children in the UK

The UK government has announced new measures to protect children online, giving parents clearer guidance and support. PM Keir Starmer said no platform will get a free pass, with illegal AI chatbot content targeted immediately.

New powers, to be introduced through upcoming legislation, will allow swift action following a consultation on children’s digital well-being.

Proposed measures include enforcing social media age limits, restricting harmful features like infinite scrolling, and strengthening safeguards against sharing non-consensual intimate images.

Ministers are already consulting parents, children, and civil society groups. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology launched ‘You Won’t Know until You Ask’ to advise on safety settings, talking to children, and handling harmful content.

Charities such as NSPCC and the Molly Rose Foundation welcomed the announcement, emphasising swift action on age limits, addictive design, and AI content regulation. Children’s feedback will help shape the new rules, aiming to make the UK a global leader in online safety.

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Gabon imposes indefinite social media shutdown over national security concerns

Gabon’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has announced a nationwide open-ended suspension of social media, citing online content that it says is fueling tensions and undermining social cohesion. In a statement, the HAC framed the move as a response to material it described as defamatory or hateful and, in some cases, a threat to national security, telling telecom operators and internet service providers to block access to major platforms.

The regulator pointed to what it called a rise in coordinated cyberbullying and the unauthorised sharing of personal data, saying existing moderation measures were not working and that the shutdown was necessary to stop violations of Gabon’s 2016 Communications Code.

The announcement arrives amid mounting labour pressure. Teachers began a high-profile strike in December 2025 over pay, status and working conditions, and the dispute has become one of the most visible signs of broader public-sector discontent. At the same time, the economic stakes are significant: Gabon had an estimated 850,000 active social media users in late 2025 (around a third of the population), and platforms are widely used for marketing and small-business sales.

Why does it matter?

Governments increasingly treat social media suspensions as a rapid-response tool for ‘public order’, but they also reshape information access, civic debate and commerce, especially in countries where mobile apps are a primary channel for news and income. The current announcement comes at a politically sensitive moment, since Gabon has a precedent here: during the 2023 election period, authorities shut down internet access, citing the need to counter calls for violence and misinformation. Gabon is still in transition after the August 2023 coup, and President Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the takeover, won the subsequent presidential election by a landslide in 2025, consolidating power while facing rising expectations for reform and stability.

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EDPS urges stronger safeguards in EU temporary chat-scanning rules

Concerns over privacy safeguards have resurfaced as the European Data Protection Supervisor urges legislators to limit indiscriminate chat-scanning in the upcoming extension of temporary EU rules.

The supervisor warns that the current framework risks enabling broad surveillance instead of focusing on targeted action against criminal content.

The EU institutions are considering a short-term renewal of the interim regime governing the detection of online material linked to child protection.

Privacy officials argue that such measures need clearer boundaries and stronger oversight to ensure that automated scanning tools do not intrude on the communications of ordinary users.

EDPS is also pressing lawmakers to introduce explicit safeguards before any renewal is approved. These include tighter definitions of scanning methods, independent verification, and mechanisms that prevent the processing of unrelated personal data.

According to the supervisor, temporary legislation must not create long-term precedents that weaken confidentiality across messaging services.

The debate comes as the EU continues discussions on a wider regulatory package covering child-protection technologies, encryption and platform responsibilities.

Privacy authorities maintain that targeted tools can be more practical than blanket scanning, which they consider a disproportionate response.

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