Access to Information and Media Pluralism in the Face of Artificial Intelligence and Power Concentration

05 May 2025
UN House in Brussels, Belgium

Welcome Remarks by Christina Meinecke, OHCHR Regional Representative for Europe

Good morning.

On behalf of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office in Europe, I am pleased to welcome you to this side event to World Press Freedom Day. We are honoured to co-host this discussion with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

We are joined today by an outstanding panel of experts:

• Ambassador Jan Braathu, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (joining us online);
• Ms. Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression;
• Ms. Anna Herold, from the European Commission;
• Ms. Maria Luisa Stasi, of Article 19 (joining us online); and
• Ms. Maryia Sadouskaya Komlach, from Free Press Unlimited.

Two days ago, in a message for World Press Freedom Day, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasized a critical point: Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how information is produced, distributed, and consumed.

This shift affects journalists, media outlets, and also the intermediaries — platforms and tech companies — who increasingly govern the flow of online information.

AI is not inherently good or bad. It is a tool. But its impact depends on how it’s designed, regulated, and deployed — and crucially, who controls it.

Today, we see a highly concentrated AI ecosystem:

• 88% of foundation models come from just ten providers.
• Cloud infrastructure is dominated by two companies.
• Another company leads the market in AI chip production.

Such concentration poses a risk to media pluralism. If newsrooms use the same AI tools for content creation, we risk a narrowing of narratives and formats. If platforms powered by AI dictate how content is recommended or made visible, they can influence editorial decisions and reduce the diversity of voices that reach the public.

These trends touch directly on the rights to seek, receive, and impart information — rights that lie at the heart of international and regional human rights frameworks.

This event is a space to unpack these challenges, share insights, and explore solutions to protect media diversity and access to information in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

With that, I thank you all for being here.