GMF25: Limbourg calls for European-led 'Public Service AI'

DW

16 hours ago

Under the theme "Breaking barriers, building bridges," DW's GMF25 opens with a strong focus on the future of AI and its implications for democracy and public access to information.
The opening ceremony was streamed live on YouTube . Photos can be found here .
"What kind of AI do we want shaping our information ecosystems?" DW Director General Peter Limbourg asked, "I call for the creation of a European AI – independent, transparent, and built on public values, not private profit. It can become a Global Public Service AI – if we build it together. This is our opportunity to shape the future – not just of the media, but of democracy itself. If we want to preserve the integrity of journalism and the diversity of voices, we must take responsibility for the tools that shape how people access information and understand the world."
Limbourg also called for the need to regulate Big Tech platforms: "If we do not regulate Big Tech, it will regulate our democracy. Just take a look at the United States." His opening remarks set the tone for DW's 18th Global Media Forum, which brings together nearly 900 participants from over 100 countries across three venues in Bonn. As AI reshapes the flow of information and public discourse, the conference explores how media, policy, and technology leaders can collaborate to safeguard independent journalism and protect open societies. DW Director General Peter Limbourg Image: Björn Kietzmann/DW
In her keynote address, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos underscored the need for the EU to strengthen support for quality journalism: "Media organizations need financial sustainability. With the demise of USAID our work has become a lot more difficult in our partner countries. We're stepping in in many places, but we cannot replace U.S. financing everywhere," she said, adding: "Today we face an abundance of information. … This forces us to rethink how the EU supports quality journalism. We also need to defend democratic spaces … to make journalistic work possible. Our strongest tool is the EU's enlargement process itself. We are working with independent countries to make sure their legislative frameworks support free and independent journalism."
Kicking off the forum, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Federal, European and Media Affairs Nathanael Liminski highlighted the mounting pressure of the media amid a rapidly evolving media landscape shaped by AI and disinformation and underlined the need to regulate Big Tech: "We have major U.S. platforms dominate attention – and now I see two priorities: Introducing levy on large platforms. The new German government has committed itself to this role, ensuring that the revenues are used for strengthening the media sector. Second, we must protect the rights of content creators in the age of AI. Creative work must be rewarded fairly." EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos delivered a keynote speech at the Global Media Forum 2025 Image: Björn Kietzmann/DW
DW's Global Media Forum 2025 is underway across three locations in Bonn – the Bundeskunsthalle, Kunstmuseum Bonn, and DW Headquarters – marking the conference's first tri-location format in the city.
This year's program sees political leaders, journalists and media experts take on the most pressing challenges facing global media today – from fighting disinformation and pushing back against digital censorship to boosting media literacy in the age of AI. The agenda also zeroes in on shrinking funding for journalism, the fight for media pluralism, rebuilding public trust in times of conflict, and why inclusion and journalist safety matter more than ever. North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Federal, European and Media Affairs Nathanael Liminski Image: Florian Görner/DW Day 1: Breaking digital walls and ensuring access to information
Digital censorship and access to information take center stage on day one of DW's Global Media Forum 2025, along with a range of other urgent media challenges.
The panel "How authoritarian regimes build digital walls - and how to overcome them " brings together key voices including Andreas Gebhard (re:publica Berlin); veteran of the Tiananmen Square democracy movement Pokong Chen; and Gypsy Guillén Kaiser (Committee to Protect Journalists). Drawing on their varied backgrounds in civil society, journalism and digital advocacy, the panel explores how governments restrict access to information – and how international actors are pushing back to protect media freedom and journalists.
Also on the day's agenda: members of the DG8 public media leaders, including the BBC, RFE/RL, and host DW as well as global media leaders including E-jicom and TVP World – will tackle another pressing challenge: "Ensuring continued access to information: How to build bridges in volatile times. " This session responds to the recent USAGM funding cuts that have impacted global media. At stake: how to sustain access to trusted news, independent reporting and civic information in the regions most affected.
The day closes with the DW Freedom of Speech Award ceremony, streamed live on YouTube , honoring Georgian journalist Tamar Kintsurashvili for her work fighting disinformation and promoting media literacy in Georgia.
Over two days, the program dives into how AI is reshaping journalism – raising new questions about ethics, accuracy, and editorial control – with keynotes, workshops, breakout sessions, and panel discussions tackling the toughest questions in conflict reporting amidst disinformation, post-crisis storytelling, and the shifting media terrain across the Global South and beyond. Check out the full GMF 2025 program for more details.
For real-time updates, highlights, and behind-the-scenes impressions, follow @DW_GMF and the hashtag #GMF25 across all major social media platforms.
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