Rewiring Democracy: Navigating Disinformation, Media, and Diplomacy in the AI Era

The 2025 Milton Wolf Seminar recently tackled the complex intersection of media, democracy, and diplomacy, unveiling critical challenges facing global information ecosystems in an era of technological disruption and democratic fragility.

Experts from journalism, diplomacy, and academia examined pressing issues including eroding public trust in media institutions, rampant disinformation campaigns, and the unregulated AI revolution that threatens to reshape information landscapes worldwide.

The seminar positioned today’s global disorder against Francis Fukuyama’s controversial “end of history” thesis. While participants rejected apocalyptic interpretations, they acknowledged growing threats from information warfare, which has blurred traditional boundaries between soft and hard power, peace and conflict.

A central theme emerged around the concept of “post-truth” – an era where emotional appeals and personal beliefs increasingly outweigh objective facts in public discourse. This shift coincides with declining trust in democratic institutions globally, creating fertile ground for manipulation.

Social media platforms have proven particularly vulnerable to exploitation, operating with minimal gatekeeping and prioritizing engagement over verification. The integration of AI-generated content into disinformation campaigns has further complicated this landscape, with doctored images and videos creating what experts termed a “viral altered reality.”

“The relationship between states and technology companies has become increasingly complex and influential in the age of AI,” noted one participant, highlighting how major tech firms maintain close government ties while shaping public discourse around automation, data use, and intellectual property.

While the European Union’s proposed AI Act introduces a tiered, risk-based regulatory model, speakers emphasized the need for more comprehensive frameworks. Drawing from disaster risk studies, some scholars suggested breaking down AI risk into components of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability to better identify threats and design targeted interventions.

The United States received particular attention as a case study in information ecosystem breakdown. Analysts pointed to a fractured “consensus model” where shared understanding of truth has disintegrated amid the rise of social media echo chambers, filter bubbles, and widespread bot deployment.

“Truth has become increasingly contested, fragmented, and shaped by the platforms through which it is consumed,” one speaker observed, noting how conspiratorial communities thrive in this volatile environment. Many disinformation narratives represent modern reconfigurations of old tropes, adapted to current concerns and cultural anxieties.

Similar patterns emerge globally despite varying cultural contexts. In India, speakers highlighted the intersection of media and oligarchy, where wealthy individuals control significant portions of the media landscape, creating what one expert called a “lapdog media” environment that frames oligarchic dominance as national strength.

Hungary’s illiberal media landscape demonstrates another troubling pattern, with dramatically decreased media pluralism as the state creates an illusion of diversity by distributing funds to loyal private owners in exchange for pro-government content. These regime-friendly media outlets face minimal market risks, operating with full state financial support.

The concept of “media capture” emerged as a powerful framework for understanding these developments – describing how political and economic actors gain control over media outlets to consolidate power. This phenomenon not only threatens press freedom but further undermines public trust, particularly when journalism becomes entangled in democratic backsliding.

Speakers emphasized that solutions must extend beyond traditional approaches like fact-checking or platform regulation. They called for interdisciplinary, long-term strategies addressing the cultural and systemic roots of disinformation, including investments in media literacy from early childhood, protection for journalists in fragile democracies, and strengthened democratic education.

“The disinformation crisis cannot be solved with fact-checking alone,” cautioned one expert, advocating for approaches grounded in both “resistance and reconstruction” – resisting authoritarian narratives while rebuilding democratic structures that can adapt to technological change.

The seminar concluded with a clear message: democracy’s future depends on our collective ability to understand and navigate the complex relationships between media, technology, and power. This requires bold thinking, collective action, and unwavering commitment to safeguarding democratic values in an increasingly challenging information environment.