10%

Hate speech in the age of AI

Why it matters now

June 17^th, 2025

In today’s hyper-connected world, hate travels fast and far. Amplified by algorithms and fueled by disinformation, it's a borderless threat.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has added new complexities. While AI can prevent harmful speech, it can also deepen inequalities. When bias and hate are embedded in technology, those already at risk, particularly women, minorities and refugees are often most affected. As we navigate these growing concerns, UNDP’s 2025 Human Development Report, explores how technology can empower and protect.

The International Day for Countering Hate Speech, June 18, reminds us that this is a human issue. Creating safe and inclusive spaces, from community meetings to online chat groups, means making sure the voices that are usually ignored are heard and included.

UNDP promotes the use of AI that protects people, empowers marginalized groups and transforms digital spaces into hubs of inclusion and dialogue.

Here is how the most affected groups are responding.

Women reclaiming online safety

Hate speech disproportionately targets women. From online harassment to violence aiming to shame, silence, and exclude them from civic and political spaces, women are forced to withdraw from public discourse or avoid participation.

In Montenegro, through the UN Peacebuilding Fund, UNDP and the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights are launching AI-based monitoring of online hate speech, focusing on gender-based discrimination. The project aims to make digital spaces safer and more inclusive for women, empowering their participation without fear.

In Mozambique, the UNDP-promoted #VerifyBeforeYouShare campaign reached over 20 million people in 18 local languages, tackling misinformation and online abuse, including gender-based hate speech.

In Togo, UNDP partnered with West Africa Network for Peacebuilding and Association of African Women Communication Professionals to train women journalists to counter hate speech and disinformation. Highlighting the value of women’s voices in conflict, the participants were equipped with the tools to shape public dialogue and amplify underrepresented voices. Similar work is being done in Ghana.

With these initiatives the goal is clear; to use technology not just to track harm, but to drive action. Through AI monitoring, media training and digital literacy, UNDP empowers women to lead and thrive online.

Underrepresented communities reclaiming narratives

For many Indigenous groups, hate speech is not just abuse—it’s a form of historical erasure. Algorithms often amplify stereotypes and slurs while silencing authentic voices.

In Bangladesh, UNDP supported Indigenous youth to create a digital platform, SAABA, to counter hate with positive cultural storytelling. It promotes youth-led art to celebrate the social traditions of minorities through initiatives like Artivism for Peace. To make generative AI more inclusive, the AI Art-a-Thon trains art tools on diverse cultural datasets, challenging algorithmic erasure and promoting positive representation of marginalized communities.

In Peru, with UNDP support, Ojo Público and Asociación Civil Transparencia used eMonitor+ to analyze hate speech on social media, including racially and ethnically motivated content. Their findings are helping shape strategies to promote safe, inclusive, and trustworthy digital spaces. Partnerships with journalists and youth networks have strengthened these efforts, equipping them with the tools to support information integrity nationwide.

These efforts show how ethical AI and inclusive storytelling can reshape the digital landscape, enabling marginalized communities to be seen, heard and to lead.

Refugees reclaiming belonging

Displacement brings a double burden. Losing a home while facing hostility in a new one fractures belonging. Refugees often face dehumanizing online narratives, xenophobic rhetoric, and scapegoating, deepening real-world exclusion.

In Lebanon, UNDP supports AI tools that detect hate speech in local dialects and has equipped over 180 youth to counter it. Through workshops, mentorship, and campaigns, these young people from refugee and host communities are reshaping digital spaces by promoting inclusive content and launching fact-checking initiatives, such as the award winning Sawab Initiative.

In Moldova, which hosts tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, UNDP promotes digital literacy to strengthen social cohesion. UNDP equips refugees with the tools to effectively recognize and respond to hate speech, fostering safer community interactions both online and offline.

As misinformation and hate speech evolve, so must our responses. In Lebanon, Moldova and beyond, reclaiming belonging for refugees demands ethical AI and digital spaces that honour everyone’s dignity.

With digital advancement, hate speech continuously changes its form and reach, and so too must our responses. When designed with care and deployed with purpose, technology becomes a bridge not a barrier. UNDP’s approach, grounded in inclusion and coalition-building, demonstrates that fighting hate isn’t just about taking down harmful content. It’s about lifting up marginalized voices.

On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, let’s harness the power of AI to create safe and digital spaces free of hatred. Let's choose unity over division and ensure hope-based dialogue goes viral too.