Africa-Press – Ghana. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer an abstract debate reserved for technologists – it is now the engine changing what we see, read, and believe.
From algorithmic feeds that prioritize engagement over accuracy to synthetic audio and video that can convincingly impersonate public figures, AI is reshaping the very fabric of our information ecosystem. UNESCO’s 14th Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week, on the theme: “Minds over AI – MIL in Digital Spaces,” is a timely and urgent reminder that technology without human judgement is a risk to democracy, civic life, and social cohesion.
The AI threat to informed civic life – A democratic imperative
AI, particularly the rapid proliferation of generative AI like ChatGPT and Deepseek, represent the ultimate challenge to verifiable information and the very fabric of democratic life.
Currently, we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in deepfakes, AI-generated narratives, and hyper-personalized content bubbles that threaten to reduce trust in traditional media, public institutions, and the electoral process itself.
Penplusbytes’ MIL in Elections Campaign and election monitoring work using the Disinformation Detection Platform (DDP) has repeatedly shown how crucial credible information is non-negotiable during political periods. But for such interventions, the online media landscape was flooded with AI-fabricated content, deepfakes, propaganda narratives, making it nearly impossible for citizens to distinguish truth from falsehood
As UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay aptly puts it, “In this new environment, where AI is transforming how we produce and consume information, Media and Information Literacy is more important than ever.” The focus must shift dramatically.
Traditional MIL, which taught us to spot a misleading headline or a photoshopped image, is simply insufficient against AI capable of generating persuasive, contextually appropriate, and endlessly adaptable disinformation. We need to cultivate digital agency by equipping citizens not just to identify AI-generated content, but to understand the algorithms that promote it, critically evaluate the data sources that train these models, and demand transparency from the digital platforms that host them. Without this agency, our digital spaces risk becoming echo chambers where AI dictates narratives, ultimately undermining the informed public discourse essential for any healthy democracy.
At Penplusbytes, we have long argued that MIL is not an optional extra; it is the civic competence required to participate meaningfully in public discourse. Over the past decade, our work in Ghana from classroom MIL games to community dialogues and research on disinformation has shown that when citizens learn to assess sources, identify manipulation and produce responsible content, communities become more resilient to mis/disinformation.
Our TruthQuest game equipping children with critical thinking skills and youth-led community dialogues are small but concrete demonstrations of what MIL can achieve when it is taken to where people actually are.
The urgency of this work is amplified by how AI operates in digital spaces. AI does three things that matter; it automates content production, it personalizes the information environment and it amplifies at scale. Automated writing tools can generate plausible news narratives in seconds; recommendation algorithms push users toward content that keeps them engaged; and synthetic media (deepfakes) are be deployed strategically to deceive.
As one recent analysis warned, the growing use of AI to create deepfakes and disinformation poses a real threat to the integrity of Ghana’s elections. The problem is not hypothetical. It is already part of the media landscape.
UNESCO’s conference framing is clear – “MIL is crucial to empower individuals to critically engage with AI-driven content.” That short observation that captures the solution and the antidote to algorithmic manipulation is a population trained to think, question and verify.
In Ghana, three connected concerns must shape national and regional responses:
MIL must be mainstreamed into education, not siloed as an extracurricular topic.
Too often, MIL is treated like an add-on: a workshop here, a radio talk there. If AI is altering how information is produced and consumed, then every child, from primary school onward, should be taught the basics of source verification, algorithmic awareness and digital ethics. Embedding MIL into curricula means teachers need training; schools need materials (including low-tech options for poorly connected areas); and the Ministry of Education must treat MIL as core civic education.
Penplusbytes’ school tours have shown that even simple, age-appropriate tools make a difference, scaling this up should be a national priority.
Closing the digital and AI literacy divide is a justice issue.
AI will widen existing inequalities if only the urban, well-resourced and tech-savvy can navigate its risks. Rural learners, women in underserved communities, people with disabilities and older adults are all at increased risk of being manipulated or excluded by opaque algorithmic systems. As we train youth to be MIL multipliers, we must target the most marginalised with accessible interventions.
Penplusbytes has repeatedly emphasised that media literacy “isn’t a luxury for a few but a necessity for everyone”; policy must follow practice and fund MIL interventions that reach the marginalised.
Governance must balance innovation, rights and accountability.
Regulation that ignores free expression will stifle democratic debate; regulation that ignores platform power will fail to address the harms.
Ghana should push for rights-based, human right frameworks that require algorithmic transparency, protect users’ data rights, and demand rapid takedown and redress mechanisms for demonstrable harms like targeted disinformation.
Civil society and MIL actors must be at the table alongside technologists and policymakers. These experts on the ground provide the contextual intelligence that blanket laws often miss.
Penplusbytes supports calls by policymakers for a national digital literacy drive with mechanisms to hold platforms like Meta accountable.
Practical steps follow directly from these priorities. The state should commission a national MIL-plus-AI curriculum and fund teacher trainers; the Ghana Education Service should pilot curricular modules now and scale them within two academic cycles.
Donors and private sector partners should fund community MIL hubs (hybrid digital and physical spaces) where citizens can learn verification skills, access fact-checking tools and receive support when confronted by harmful AI content.
Big tech Platforms like X (formerly twitter and Meta) should partner with MIL organisations to share data on mis/disinformation trends and to co-design accessible user education campaigns. And universities should be resourced to study the local impact of synthetic or manipulated media and algorithmic curation so policy can be evidence-driven.
All stakeholders have roles to play. UNESCO’s global dialogue is an invitation to countries to reflect and act. Its call that MIL empower citizens to “think critically, act ethically and understand their digital rights” must be translated into domestic programmes with measurable targets.
At Penplusbytes, we are ready to scale our MIL interventions, but we cannot do it alone. We call on the Government of Ghana, donors, tech companies, and fellow civil society organisations to invest in MIL as the frontline defence against the misuse of AI in our public sphere.
Investment is not merely defensive; a digitally literate society is a productive society, capable of using AI for local problem-solving – from agricultural advisory chatbots to community journalism powered by ethical automation.
Finally, the essence of the UNESCO theme is also a moral statement: technology should serve the human mind, not supplant it. In digital spaces, the mind is our last bulwark against manipulation. If Ghana takes the “Minds over AI” imperative seriously by teaching citizens to question, by ensuring inclusion and by holding powerful platforms to account, we can harness AI’s promise while protecting the foundations of informed civic life.
We invite all partners to join Penplusbytes in making MIL a national priority. For if we fail to equip Ghana’s citizens with the skills to interrogate AI-produced content, we risk a future where falsehood travels faster than reason. If we succeed, we will have built a society in which technology amplifies the best of our democratic values and not the worst.
MR Jerry Sam, is the Executive Director at Penplusbytes, an organisation that leverages technology and knowledge to enhance good governance.
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