Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of the public and private spheres, shaping new societal dynamics and bringing both immense opportunities and significant challenges. At the recent event ‘The New Reality After Artificial Intelligence: The Challenges Ahead for Governments, Businesses, and Individuals’, hosted by the Spanish leader newspaper El Confidencial, Erika Staël von Holstein, CEO of Re-Imagine Europa, provided valuable insights into AI’s societal impact, addressing not only the technology’s influence on daily life but also its ethical and social implications. The event brought together an esteemed group of global AI experts, along with leaders, researchers, business figures, and public representatives. Together, they explored how to navigate the complexities of AI while embracing its potential benefits.
As keynote speaker, Staël von Holstein began by highlighting a critical issue: “One of the main challenges is that the current narratives about AI are, on purpose, very confusing and do not help to understand exactly how this technology is going to help us.” This deliberate confusion, she noted, serves the interests of certain stakeholders within the tech sector, often complicating the true nature and potential of AI. In this context, the CEO of Re-Imagine Europa further explored the power dynamics shaping the AI landscape. “People who have access to AI and AI infrastructure will have enormous power. This is the battle that is being fought,” she remarked. Highlighting the consequences of such power, her remarks led directly to a critique of how the tech industry manages public opinion, emphasising how these tactics often distract from more pressing issues. “The tech sector plays at confusing and distracting. It is a known strategy: ‘Let us take public opinion to a debate here, so they use all their energy and time, while we work beyond.’ By the time you realise what is happening, everything has already been decided,” she added.
The conversation also addressed the role of AI in the spread of misinformation. AI-driven algorithms often serve to reinforce existing beliefs and polarise public opinion, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. This tendency deepens societal divisions, making informed and balanced discourse increasingly difficult. “We are increasingly locking ourselves more and more in our own bubble of beliefs and prejudices. We communicate less and less,” Staël von Holstein asserted.
With over two decades of research into misinformation and polarisation, Erika Staël von Holstein offered a thorough view of the phenomenon. As she explained, misinformation is not just about lies but about shaping narratives that mobilise communities around shared interests: “Narratives and facts are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they are related, but facts are to narratives what words are to sentences. The problem is that narratives are not right or wrong; they are useful or less useful. In the end, it is a choice of how we choose to understand reality,” she stated.
Staël von Holstein ’s trajectory on misinformation culminated in the creation of the 1sth European Narratives Observatory (NODES), a project driven by Re-Imagine Europa and co-funded by the European Commission. In its recently released White Paper, The Power of Narratives: A Strategic Approach to Combating Disinformation in Europe, NODES concluded that AI is amplifying existing trends of misinformation. “The emergence of generative AI and its combination with digital platforms is negatively impacting our democracy,” the report warned, as articulated by MEP Brando Benifei.
In response to these pressing concerns, Staël von Holstein advocates for greater transparency in AI regulation and oversight, emphasising the necessity for these powerful technologies to bolster rather than undermine democratic processes. Achieving this will require a collaborative effort between policymakers, technologists, and the public to ensure AI’s benefits are maximised while minimising its potential harms. The urgency for a proactive approach in AI governance is clear, as understanding its evolving impact on public discourse and misinformation is critical for preventing division and enhancing democratic engagement.
