Athens Democracy Forum spotlights AI risks and possible public benefits

In short: Leaders at the 2025 Athens Democracy Forum said AI can help governments and citizens, but it can also be used to mislead voters and weaken trust.

What happened

The 2025 Athens Democracy Forum took place in Athens from September 30 to October 3. The theme was “New Visions for Hard Realities.” The forum was organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation in association with The New York Times.

A big focus was artificial intelligence, or AI (computer systems that can produce text, images, or decisions that seem human). Speakers discussed how AI can make disinformation easier to create and spread. This includes deepfakes, which are fake videos or audio that can look or sound real (like a convincing impersonation).

Participants also linked AI to broader security problems. They warned that weak cybersecurity, meaning poor digital protection, can combine with foreign influence campaigns to distort public debate. The concern was not only brand-new tricks, but also how AI can speed up existing efforts to manipulate people.

The forum’s impact report called for security, fairness, transparency, and accountability to be built into technology from the start. It also stressed human agency, meaning people should stay in control of important decisions, instead of handing power to a small number of companies or automated systems.

Why it matters

Elections and public trust depend on people being able to tell what is real. If AI makes it cheaper and faster to flood the internet with believable fakes, everyday voters can be pushed toward decisions based on false information. At the same time, the forum argued that AI could still be useful, for example by helping institutions spot risks earlier and improving public services, as long as there are clear rules and real oversight.

Source: NYTimes