Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Gladstein, of the Human Rights Foundation featured on BBC World Service

Human Rights Foundation

What if AI could be a tool for freedom? In conversation with Owen Clegg from BBC World Service, Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation, explores how artificial intelligence can empower human rights activists, expand access to information, and help counter authoritarian uses of technology.

While AI is often framed through the lens of risk, Alex explores how the technology can also empower activists, journalists, and opposition movements around the world by supercharging their work through personal and organizational agents. He points to Venezuela, where opposition groups responding to a humanitarian crisis have used AI to quickly build crowdfunding infrastructure that would otherwise have required significant time, technical expertise, and resources helping deliver aid. Listen to the full conversation below.

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This entry was posted on August 7, 2026 at 12:33 and is filed under Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Foundation.

Tags: Alex Gladstein, Artificial intelligence, BBC, empowering civil society, Human Rights Foundation, podcast, Venezuela