Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer “emerging” technology. It is here as the new infrastructure of influence and yet, it is not equally distributed. We live in an era of mutually assured surveillance where states and corporations use AI to facilitate all kinds of repressive actions: monitoring activists, spreading disinformation, and restricting access to public goods, to name a few.
But what if journalists and citizens used AI to watch the watchers as well? To shine light where others prefer shadows? Here are three ways forward to ensure that AI, press freedom, and public power serve democracy and human dignity.
AI must ignite civic engagement
AI’s potential is not abstract. It is already helping citizens hold power to account. Civic engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It’s nurtured when journalists use AI to open doors, not close them.
In Nigeria, civic tech group BudgIT trained a machine learning tool called Bimi to detect irregularities in government budgets. Suddenly, missing funds aren’t hidden—they’re flagged for every citizen to see.
In Kenya, newspapers like The Star and Daily Nation use AI-driven chat tools and data visualisations to make complex stories accessible, sparking public debate and scrutiny.
These are not stories of technology replacing journalists. They are stories of technology amplifying the work of journalists to inform, engage, and empower citizens.
But here’s the thing: AI will only serve accountability if it is fed with good data, governed by independent scrutiny, and backed by institutions that welcome transparency, not fear it. (If you’d like to learn more, the OGP Horizons series covers this idea in more detail.)
Building a shared reality
“Water, water everywhere, [but not a] drop to drink!” This is the famous line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, about a sailor who can’t drink any of the salt water around him while he drifts in the ocean, shipwrecked.
Just like the sailor, we are drowning in an ocean of information—and thirsting for truth.
Disinformation, deep fakes, and “truth decay” threaten the very foundation of democratic discourse. As Maria Ressa, the fearless Filipino journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner, reminds us, “Without facts, there is no truth. Without truth, no trust. Without trust, no shared reality—and without that, democracy dies.”
READ MORE: Tanzania Court Adopts Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its Processes
AI can help us rebuild that shared reality, but only if we wield it wisely.
In Ukraine, open-source investigators are using AI to verify battlefield images and spot coordinated, inauthentic behavior on social media, countering propaganda in real-time. AI, when guided by journalistic integrity and civic purpose, becomes a shield, not a sword.
But let’s be clear: AI is an amplifier, not a solution. It can filter noise, but it cannot replace human judgment. It can speed up research, but it cannot define truth. For example, Estonia has heavily invested in media literacy education and local media outlets to counter disinformation alongside the creation of AI-powered fact-checking tools. This layered response is essential to build resistance to propaganda attacks.
It is up to us—editors, reporters, fact-checkers, and civil society—to ensure that AI serves public interest journalism, not the interests of those who profit from confusion. In this task, journalists do more than report facts. They defend reality itself.
We’ve seen this story before. Social media platforms were hailed as a tool of liberation during the Arab Spring and promised to connect us to civic life. But instead of fulfilling this promise, these platforms have become engines of surveillance, division, and exploitation. The reason is simple: when tech companies prioritise profit over people, society suffers.
There’s a real risk that AI can run the same course. If AI remains in the hands of a few powerful corporations and governments, the rest of us risk becoming data points, not decision-makers.
That’s why journalists must not only use AI — they must interrogate it. Investigative reporters should ask: Who built this algorithm? Whose interests does it serve? What biases are hidden beneath the code?
Interrogating AI is the first step to changing its impact as a force for good. This is not science fiction. It is within reach, but only if we insist that AI works for democracy, not against it. That requires more than imagination. It demands independent institutions, robust privacy protections, and unwavering commitment to journalistic confidentiality.
We are living in a brave new world, but all is not lost. We have the power to change course by supporting press freedom and engaging with citizens to give them the tools to fight back against the harms of AI.
Let us choose a future where AI serves truth, not power. Where journalists, civic watchdogs, and citizens alike are equipped to hold the powerful to account.
This is not a task for journalists alone. Nor for civil society organisations, judges, or legislators acting in isolation. It is a task for all of us. If we act with courage, with clarity, and with conviction, AI will not define the future of journalism. We will!
Aidan Eyakuze is CEO of the Open Government Partnership and a director of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company. He’s available at aidan.eyakuze@opengovpartnership.org or on X as @aeyakuze. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
