London (Parliament News) – Rishi Sunak urges Britain to confront the “chilling effect” of cancel culture, emphasizing the importance of free speech and democracy amidst global authoritarian threats and challenges posed by rapidly advancing technology.
The Britan must contain the “chilling effect” of cancel culture amid increasing threats to democracy, Rishi Sunak has stated. Speaking at the Society of Editors conference in London, the Prime Minister cautioned against the risks of “shutting down people’s opinions and making people fear speaking out”, stating: “That’s not who we are. That’s not what this country stands for.”
Why does Rishi Sunak stress the importance of free speech?
Rishi Sunak said, “Democracy relies on the ability to air our views, to challenge and examine people’s standpoints and to learn from different viewpoints and experiences. And if we value a liberal, pluralistic society, we cannot permit one group of people to say their experiences are more important than others.”
Mr Sunak cautioned that the erosion of free speech was especially concerning as Britain encounters a growing threat from Russia, Iran, North Korea and China. He engraved these countries an “axis of authoritarian states” who are “united by their conveyed antipathy to our values and our freedoms, and are growing more assertive all the time”.
The Prime Minister stated: “It just shows that our values, and the principles that this body was founded on, are more important than ever.”
How did the government intervene in media ownership?
The remarks come after the Government intervened to thwart the sale of The Telegraph to an Abu Dhabi-backed investment fund amid worries over the impact on press freedom.
RedBird IMI, which is majority funded by Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, on Tuesday stated it had formally abandoned its takeover bid as it accepted the deal was “no longer feasible”.
What dangers does AI pose to media integrity?
Mr Sunak also discussed the rapid elevation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media industry, which poses a danger to publishers’ intellectual property and the accuracy of news.Â
The Financial Times this week became the first UK news publisher to strike a licensing deal with OpenAI to allow its articles to be used to train ChatGPT.
Mr Sunak stated: “New technology is being used to peddle propaganda and inaccurate narratives, disinformation is fomenting division, damaging the truth and journalists themselves are even becoming the victim of deep fakes.”
What measures are being taken to preserve democracy?
 The Prime Minister insisted that the Government was performing to ensure that “the opportunities of technology are not manipulated by the enemies of democracy”, pointing to the AI summit held at Bletchley Park last year. He expressed: “We are meeting this threat head-on, assuring we do so in a way that doesn’t hamper freedom of expression but enhances it.”