Event background:
On July 10, 2025, on the sidelines of the Bonn International Media Forum, Syrian Minister of Information Dr. Hamza al-Mustafa held official talks in Berlin with the Executive Director of the iRights Lab, Mr. Philipp Otto. The meeting addressed potential cooperation in employing artificial intelligence to counter hate speech and achieve responsible digital transformation in the media sector. The Minister extended a direct invitation to the center’s management to visit Syria to implement joint programs.
The context of the Syrian phase and the position of artificial intelligence in media governance:
This initiative comes at a moment of historic transformation in Syria, one that is transforming the authoritarian era toward building a pluralistic, civil state. Reforming the media sector is a pillar of this transformation, especially in light of the widespread proliferation of digital platforms and the rise of hate speech and incitement, which impact social peace and fuel political and sectarian divisions.
Modern artificial intelligence technologies rely on analyzing language patterns, detecting behavioral and rhetorical indicators of incitement, and implementing predictive models to monitor offensive content before it spreads. Experiences from countries such as Germany, India, and Kenya indicate the crucial role this technology plays in reducing misleading content and promoting a safe digital environment.
However, the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in Syria must be linked to:
- Developing a legislative framework that respects cultural privacy and human rights
- Independent institutional oversight that ensures the ethical use of technologies
- Consensus between government agencies and civil society in monitoring and verification
Hence, we see that the challenges facing this path are manifested in the following:
- The absence of a legal framework to regulate artificial intelligence tools in the media.
- Weak community trust in oversight institutions.
- Conflicting views on the concept of hate speech and its determinants.
- Lack of technical personnel trained in automated linguistic monitoring and analysis.
- The fragility of the digital infrastructure in several governorates.
The Syrian Future Movement’s Strategic Vision:
The Syrian Future Movement views artificial intelligence as a tool for institutional transformation, not just a monitoring technology. It proposes adopting a multi-level, participatory approach based on:
- Establish an independent national body for digital speech rights, comprising experts in artificial intelligence, media, and law, to set standards and make legislative recommendations.
- Launching an open Syrian platform to monitor hate speech, using artificial intelligence alongside human verification by trained journalists.
- Reengineering academic curricula in media and programming to include responsible digital media skills and AI ethics.
- Expanding international partnerships with research centers and UN institutions in the field of human rights technology, such as UNESCO and UNDP.
- Adopting national indicators to periodically measure hate speech and publishing transparent reports on which to base media policies.
The Syrian Future Movement’s media office believes that the recent Syrian-German cooperation represents a strategic opportunity that should not remain within the framework of protocol.
Rather, it should be transformed into a national media policy that adopts modern technology as part of the transitional justice project and establishes a public space based on trust, diversity, and respect for other opinions.
We also call on the Syrian government, legislative institutions, and civil society to initiate a national technical-legal dialogue on the future of artificial intelligence in protecting public discourse. We also call on the international community to contribute to capacity building and provide technical support for this transformational process.
