New tech, new rules: Narrative and civil society in the age of AI and algorithms

April 29, 2026

The International Resource for Impact and Storytelling (IRIS) commissioned ten case studies from organizations across Global Majority countries to examine how civil society groups are adapting to AI and algorithm-driven technologies in contexts of increasing authoritarianism. The research identified three main response strategies: co-opting technology for advocacy purposes, countering surveillance and digital repression, and innovating with new forms of engagement and journalism. Organizations are simultaneously shifting focus toward hyperlocal grassroots issues while building cross-border solidarity networks, employing flexible and ephemeral organizational structures to avoid state surveillance.

Who is affected

Civil society organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean, Arab region, Nigeria, Tunisia, India, and Hong Kong
Fogo Cruzado in Brazil working on police violence issues
Favela residents subject to police violence
Derechos Digitales activists campaigning against facial recognition
Citizens in Brazil and Chile facing facial recognition surveillance
Alharaca, a group of feminist journalists from El Salvador working in exile
Activists in Hong Kong operating under pervasive AI-driven surveillance
Grassroots communities sidelined by national media
Audience members engaging with new storytelling formats
Social justice advocates, journalists, and storytellers globally

What action is being taken

Fogo Cruzado is collaborating with Future Narratives Lab to use AI for testing messages aimed at reducing public support for police violence in favelas
Derechos Digitales is using social media to campaign and mobilize opposition against facial recognition technologies
Alharaca is experimenting with offline approaches, bringing audiences together in person and trying new storytelling methods like board games and immersive sound installations
Hong Kong activists are using humor, embedding meaning in innocuous terminology, and working through short-lived, temporary organizations
Civil society actors are forming alliances and seeking expertise from organizations beyond their fields
Organizations are shifting focus to hyperlocal stories and building cross-border connections

Why it matters

This research matters because it reveals how civil society organizations in authoritarian contexts are successfully navigating unprecedented challenges posed by AI and algorithmic technologies that enable surveillance, data extraction, and ideological polarization. The case studies demonstrate that despite operating with tools owned by powerful tech oligarchs and facing hostile state actors, grassroots organizations are finding creative ways to build democratic power through narrative work, technological adaptation, and political organizing. The identification of successful adaptation strategies—co-opting, countering, and innovating—along with tactical shifts toward hyperlocal organizing and cross-border solidarity networks, provides a roadmap for other civil society actors facing similar challenges. This work is particularly significant as it centers perspectives from Global Majority countries, offering lessons on resilience and resistance that can inform funding strategies and collaborative approaches essential for protecting democracy and human rights in an increasingly techno-authoritarian world.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices