Program

11:45 Registration Open

12:00 Lunch Buffet

12:30 Welcome by Dr. Michaela Lissowsky, Director, FNF Human Rights Hub

12:35 Panel discussion starts with

Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion

Krisztina Stump, Head of Unit, Media Convergence and Social Media Unit, European Commission

Domenico Zipoli, Project Coordinator and Research Fellow, Geneva Human Rights Platform/ Geneva Academy

13:30 Q&A

14:00 End

Dis- and misinformation have long been used as tools of war and manipulation, but they have reached new levels of scale and sophistication with the rise of the internet, social media, and most recently, generative AI. Since OpenAI released the first large language model (LLM) to the public in 2022, AI has become both a catalyst for—and potentially a countermeasure to—the spread of dis- and misinformation.

Journalism, a cornerstone of democratic discourse, is at risk of being undermined. Many internet users are deceived by artificially generated news and narratives, blurring the lines between truth and fabrication. This threatens not only the credibility of journalists but also the integrity of electoral processes around the globe.

This panel discussion will explore the dual-edged role of AI: first, how it accelerates the dissemination of dis- and misinformation, especially in the run up of elections; , as explored in UNESCO’s concept note for the WPFD2025; and second, how it can be purposefully leveraged to combat these same threats. This nuanced conversation will serve to broaden the debate on AI’s impact and highlight constructive avenues for action.

Disinformation in elections, AI and its impact on reporting