The Collapse of the Information Environment? Safeguarding Freedom and Democracy in the Age of AI

On April 7, the Institute of Global Politics’ Technology & Democracy Initiative and the Columbia Journalism School hosted an event titled “The Collapse of the Information Environment? Safeguarding Freedom and Democracy in the Age of AI.” The event opened with a presentation by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who discussed her new research in The Nerve, titled First 100 Days of Trump 2.0: Narrative Warfare and the Breakdown of Reality, followed by a panel discussion.

In addition to Ressa, a Professor of Professional Practice, IGP Faculty Advisory Board member, and codirector of IGP’s Technology & Democracy Initiative at Columbia SIPA, the panel discussion featured Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Columbia SIPA professor of international and public affairs, 67th Secretary of State, former US senator from New York, and IGP Cofounder and Faculty Advisory Board chair; Camille François, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs, codirector of IGP’s Technology & Democracy Initiative, and IGP Affiliated Faculty member at Columbia SIPA; Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies; and Emily Bell, founding director of the Tow Digital Center for Journalism.

The event was introduced by Keren Yarhi-Milo, dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations, IGP Cofounder and Faculty Advisory Board Member, and the discussion was moderated by Sara Sidner, CNN Anchor and Senior National Correspondent. Columbia Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb provided closing remarks.