European Broadcasting Union urges AI governance to safeguard media trust

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), known as UER, presented a set of priorities at a parallel event to the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva. Together with Fondation Abeona, the Global Trust Challenge and the 5Rights Foundation, the EBU called for AI governance frameworks that recognise public‑service media as pillars of trust and impose enforceable responsibility on AI companies for the accuracy of AI‑generated news, the establishment of online trust standards and the protection of children.

Luis Jiménez of Eurovision News warned that AI firms are interposing between newsrooms and audiences, making traditional journalistic accountability invisible. The EBU highlighted that public confidence in news has fallen to 37%, the lowest level since 2015, while 10% of respondents now use AI chat‑bots for news. A joint EBU‑BBC study found 45% of AI‑assistant answers had major issues, with 31% related to source reliability and 20% to factual accuracy.

The speakers also flagged the disproportionate risks AI‑generated content poses to minors. Marie‑Ève Nadeau of the 5Rights Foundation noted that incidents involving children’s safety and AI have doubled between 2022 and 2025. She urged that AI systems intended for children be demonstrably safe, accurate and beneficial before market release.