UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Friday of the significant risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) to press freedom, noting that states increasingly “weaponize” AI to restrict the flow of information.

In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, which revealed increasing media repression, Türk stated:

AI-based algorithms often dictate what we see, shaping our opinions and perceptions of reality. Politicians use AI to weaponize disinformation and advance their own agendas. States are also using AI tools to monitor journalists and their sources online, violating their right to privacy. This has a chilling effect on media workers everywhere. And women journalists are disproportionately targeted.

Türk called on states to ensure that journalists are protected from attacks, hate campaigns, surveillance, and both physical and legal harassment. He emphasized the importance of transparency in data usage, content curation, and algorithm design. Moreover, he urged states to update media concentration laws to reflect the growing power of AI and tech platforms and to promote a diverse media landscape that supports independent journalism.

Türk also highlighted that at least 20 journalists have been killed since the beginning of 2025 and that impunity for crimes against journalists remains rampant, with over 80 percent of these killings going unpunished. This follows the reporting of an unprecedented decline in the economic indicator in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The report classified global press freedom as a “difficult situation” for the first time in the index’s history, although physical attacks against journalists remain visibly a major problem.

Additionally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a similar message on press freedom on Saturday. He stated: “AI must be shaped in a way that is consistent with human rights and puts facts first.” Guterres also highlighted the Global Digital Compact, which aims to achieve several objectives, including fostering a safe and secure digital space that protects human rights and improving international governance of AI. This is timely with the release of the UN AI Advisory Body’s final report, “Governing AI for Humanity,” which seeks to keep pace with AI’s evolution.

Recent examples of challenges to press freedom have included US President Donald Trump signing an executive order on Thursday to cease federal funding for the National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). On Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the detention of two journalists in Macao, calling the move a “disturbing escalation” in the suppression of independent journalism.