AI, trust and peace in a changing geopolitical landscape

Akola Forum, in collaboration with CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and Oulu2026, organised the discussion under the theme Can Technology Build Trust? Opportunities and Risks in the Age of AI. The event explored what happens to trust, dialogue and peace in the age of AI, and what role technology can play in supporting them.

The panel brought together prominent Finnish and international experts: Sam Gregory, Award winning technologist and researcher, former Executive Director of the global human rights organisation WITNESS; Christine Bell, Emeritus Professor of Constitutional Law and author of PeaceTech: Digital Transformation to End Wars; Laura Saarikoski, President of the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation; and Marko Ahtisaari, Chair of the Board of CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Johanna Poutanen, Head of Inclusion and Digital Innovation at CMI.

One of the key messages from the discussion was that technology should not be viewed solely through the lens of efficiency. AI can improve access to information, support participation and assist decision-making, but it can also contribute to misinformation, a lack of transparency and deeper societal divisions. Technological development is also increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulation and changing patterns of international cooperation.

Professor Pia Hurmelinna-Laukkanen from the Department of Marketing, Management and International Business at Oulu Business School highlighted the complexity of the questions surrounding AI.

“There are no simple answers to the questions surrounding AI. Like any other technology, AI can be used for both good and bad, and the boundary between the two is not always clear. It is therefore important to consider not only the role of AI in people’s activities, but also the role of people in a world where AI is becoming increasingly present,” Hurmelinna-Laukkanen says.

The event also raised questions about how AI shapes the information we see and hear, and in which situations human interaction, physical presence and trust built over time remain irreplaceable. A particularly important tension arises between the speed of AI-driven processes and the slower, relationship-based processes of peacebuilding and mediation.

The themes discussed in the event are also closely connected with research at Oulu Business School and the Martti Ahtisaari Institute on digitalisation, international business, responsible business and the changing geopolitical environment.