{
  "id": 18335594,
  "title": "IOL CEO calls for Africa to shape the future of AI-driven global media at World Media Summit in Beijing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/iol-ceo-calls-for-africa-to-shape-the-future-of-ai-driven-global",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-05T16:34:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/2026-11-05-iol-ceo-calls-for-africa-to-shape-the-future-of-ai-driven-global-media-at-world-media-summit-in-beijing/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "IOL Chief Executive Officer Viasen Soobramoney urged for a more equitable global media landscape at the 2026 World Media Summit in Beijing, China, emphasizing the pivotal role Africa and the Global South must play in shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Speaking to an international assembly of media professionals and technology experts, Soobramoney highlighted that while AI is revolutionizing the media industry, its development must adhere to principles of inclusivity, equitable access, responsible governance, and journalism ethics. The summit, organized by Xinhua News Agency and the Beijing Municipal Government, gathered nearly 500 delegates representing 330 media entities and 112 countries. Soobramoney challenged media leaders to consider the true control, benefits, and shaping of the digital information ecosystem by AI. He acknowledged AI's capacity to enhance news gathering, translation, verification, production, and distribution, providing unprecedented opportunities to bridge language barriers and expand information access. However, Soobramoney cautioned against the challenges AI presents, such as misinformation, deepfakes, algorithmic bias, and the concentration of power among select global companies. He urged the media community to focus on ensuring that AI progresses in a manner that benefits humanity, emphasizing that progress should be intelligent and inclusive. A key point of his speech was to bolster Africa's role in the global tech and media ecosystem, arguing that African narratives, languages, cultures, and lived experiences have long been underrepresented in international information systems. Soobramoney pointed out that AI offers a unique chance to rectify this disparity. He discussed how AI could empower rural journalists, enhance investigative work, analyze vast datasets, fortify verification processes, and enable African newsrooms to create multimedia content for worldwide audiences. The technology could also provide African journalists with global competition opportunities, irrespective of their location or technological resources. Soobramoney stressed that these opportunities could only materialize through consistent investment in skills development, infrastructure, partnerships, and responsible governance. He stressed the necessity for the Global South to actively participate in AI's development, governance, and ownership rather than merely accepting decisions made elsewhere. Soobramoney's comments underscored the importance of ensuring AI systems are trained on diverse languages, cultures, and societies to avoid perpetuating existing inequalities in global information and knowledge systems.",
  "summary": "Viasen Soobramoney tells world media leaders that artificial intelligence must become a bridge for inclusion, innovation and greater representation of the Global South.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}