Policy Briefs on Social Media, Technology and Peacebuilding

This paper explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), as an emerging tool to address the proliferation of online toxic speech. The research focuses on two key applications of LLMs: hate speech classification and detection, and response generation, specifically the use of LLMs for creating counterspeech. While LLMs show significant advances in detecting hate speech through various models, including supervised, unsupervised, and GenAI-based approaches, the paper notes crucial limitations. These include the difficulty in processing the nuance and context of online communication, understanding implicit hate speech, and the significant issue of models learning and amplifying human biases present in training data. The paper reviews efforts to develop AI-powered counterspeech tools, including challenges in generating human-like, constructive responses that adequately engage with specific hateful content. The paper suggests that LLMs show promise in developing counterspeech tools, and closes with a set of recommendations for technology developers and governments to guide the ethical development and deployment of LLMs in addressing online harms.

This policy brief argues that democratic governance must evolve as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in public life, often without transparency or public consent, and as the erosion of democratic processes directly threatens sustainable peace. Drawing on lessons from the 2025 UNDP Human Development Report and the 2024 UN Pact for the Future, this brief offers a framework for democratic digital governance that supports peacebuilding. It proposes five actions: establishing independent oversight bodies with enforcement powers; embedding civic participation in policymaking; expanding critical digital literacy; enforcing the Global Digital Compact; and protecting online civic space. With such measures, AI can enhance human agency, strengthen democratic institutions, and foster sustainable peace.

This report examines the diverse set of incentives across countries in the Global South which influence the integration of upstream product and design considerations in digital regulation. As well as highlighting these variations, the report details the state of regulation, and identifies both opportunities and barriers to advancing accountability in digital platforms through design-focused interventions.

This report examines the landscape of digital peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, exploring how technology is being leveraged to promote social cohesion, social justice, and human security in a post-war context. Through a literature review and over 30 interviews with stakeholders, the research maps existing digital peacebuilding initiatives and analyses their potential contributions as well as challenges. Key findings highlight innovative uses of social media, digital literacy programs, and online platforms to counter hate speech, misinformation, and bridge societal divides. However, significant obstacles remain, including the digital divide, language barriers, funding constraints, and government restrictions on online spaces. The report concludes with recommendations for advancing digital peacebuilding in Sri Lanka through multi-stakeholder collaboration, contextualized approaches, and ethical use of technology.

This is a report on an international workshop for 45 peacebuilders, co-hosted by Toda Peace Institute and the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in June 2024. Emphasizing citizen participation and collective intelligence, the workshop explored the intersection of digital democracy and algorithmic technologies designed to enhance democratic processes. Central to the discussions were deliberative technologies, a new class of tools that facilitate collective discussion and decision-making by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative inputs, supported by bridging algorithms and AI. The workshop provided a comprehensive overview of how these innovative approaches and technologies can contribute to more inclusive and effective democratic processes, particularly in contexts marked by polarization and conflict.