Prime Minister Edi Rama urged the international community to establish a global agreement on sovereign and democratic artificial intelligence during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

First, Rama warned that the misuse of content distribution now threatens freedom of speech. He said citizens must know when artificial intelligence generates or manipulates influential political content.

Furthermore, he called for full transparency in content distribution systems. Citizens and governments, he said, must be able to identify who created, financed, targeted, or artificially amplified political messages.

In addition, Rama urged democracies to create a common early-warning system that can quickly detect and share information about AI-driven manipulation. He stressed that the international community must include smaller countries in this protective framework.

Meanwhile, Rama argued that digital sovereignty should not remain a privilege of wealthy nations. He noted that algorithms cross borders freely and said countries must strengthen cooperation to counter manipulation campaigns.

At the same time, he emphasized that humanity does not face a battle against machines. Instead, people face a struggle between different human intentions behind technology.

Moreover, Rama said democracies cannot protect freedom of expression while allowing hidden forces to control content distribution. He explained that platforms, corporations, criminal networks, and foreign states can buy, automate, and manipulate distribution on a massive scale.

Consequently, he argued that societies must increase transparency rather than impose censorship. Citizens, he said, deserve to know who created a message, who financed it, whether people or machines spread it, and whether public reactions were genuine or coordinated.

Rama also rejected proposals to pause or slow artificial intelligence development. Instead, he called on democratic countries to accelerate innovation while maintaining clear rules and accountability. He argued that responsible nations cannot stop advancing while hostile actors continue to develop powerful technologies.

Finally, Rama called for artificial intelligence systems that are transparent, verifiable, and accountable. He said countries should use sovereign AI to protect their languages, secure public communications, detect coordinated manipulation, safeguard data, and serve citizens more effectively.

Therefore, Rama urged nations to work together and build an AI framework that strengthens democracy, protects sovereignty, and ensures that technological progress remains under human control.

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