Newsletter Sep 28, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #19 In Iran and China, state-backed actors are using AI to run autonomous influence campaigns. These actors can now deploy hundreds of AI agents to create social media accounts and flood platforms with political content, marking a new era of authoritarian propaganda.
Press Release Sep 25, 2026 Announcing the Winners of AI Hack for Freedom III WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 25, 2026) — On Sept. 24 and 25, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) co-hosted AI Hack for Freedom III, the third edition of a hackathon aimed at building digital tools that directly address the needs of human rights defenders under authoritarian regimes, with a prize pool of $50,000.
Report Sep 22, 2026 AI for Activists: A Guide to Supercharging Your Movement with Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is often described as the most transformative technology of our time. Its meteoric development is reshaping industries, economies, and the way people work, communicate, and create. Governments are investing billions of dollars into it. Corporations are racing to build ever more capable AI systems. News headlines alternate between promises of extraordinary breakthroughs and warnings about existential risks.
Newsletter Sep 18, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #18 This week, China’s top civilian intelligence official warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a security threat to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule. He pointed to risks including AI-generated political content against the CCP, AI-powered cyberattacks, and sensitive data leaks, while calling for tighter state control over AI.
Announcement Sep 14, 2026 HRF Co-sponsors AI Hack for Freedom III in Washington, D.C., Sept. 24–25 WASHINGTON D.C. (September 14, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation will co-sponsor the AI Hack for Freedom III in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24 and 25. This AI-powered hackathon, the third of its kind this year, is designed to put world-leading human rights activists as captains of teams of engineers to build powerful new tools to scale the work of the people and movements challenging authoritarianism worldwide.
Newsletter Sep 11, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #17 In Taiwan, officials revealed that Chinese tech companies are ramping up efforts to recruit Taiwanese engineers and gain access to the island’s AI chip expertise.
Newsletter Sep 4, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #16 Chinese tech giant Huawei is bidding to expand Egypt’s AI capacity, bringing more powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tools into the hands of a dictatorship. In a country where officials already closely monitor and suppress dissent, that expansion could make surveillance faster and more sophisticated.
Newsletter Aug 28, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #15 This week, Saudi Arabia’s state-linked AI company HUMAIN announced a partnership with French AI lab Mistral. When authoritarian regimes collaborate with leading AI companies from democracies, they may gain greater influence over how AI systems are developed and deployed.
Newsletter Aug 24, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #14 Welcome to the 14th edition of HRF’s AI for Individual Rights newsletter. We begin in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is using tens of thousands of cameras to surveil women forced to follow its repressive rules.
Newsletter Aug 14, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #13 Across this week’s news, authoritarian regimes continue deploying AI-powered surveillance to better identify and track critics.
Newsletter Aug 10, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #12 This week we look at how police in Delhi shockingly used AI-powered facial recognition to scan India’s largest youth protest in decades, matching faces against a police database in real time.
Announcement Jul 29, 2026 HRF’s Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Gladstein, featured on BBC World Service 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. Listen to the full conversation below.
Announcement Jul 22, 2026 How AI Agents Are Empowering Human-Rights Defenders Just two years ago, AI seemed like an inevitable upgrade for dictators and a downgrade for dissidents.
Announcement Jul 20, 2026 HRF’s Alex Gladstein Discusses AI and the Future of Human Rights with Cutting-Edge AI Researcher Artificial intelligence (AI) is the fastest-spreading technology in human history. But the crucial question is whether or not it will serve human freedom.
Newsletter Jul 1, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #11 Today, we cover a report revealing potential advances in North Korea’s AI capabilities that enable dangerous surveillance use cases despite an apparent lack of ability to acquire advanced AI chips.
Newsletter Jun 15, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #10 We start in China, where AI-powered tools are censoring teachers in universities.
Press Release May 13, 2026 Announcing the Winners of AI Hack for Freedom II This past weekend, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) sponsored the AI Hack for Freedom II, the second edition of a hackathon aimed at building powerful digital tools for pro-democracy movements.
Press Release May 12, 2026 HRF’s AI Fund Supports 10 Innovative Projects The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce 10 new grants from its AI for Individual Rights Fund.
Press Release May 8, 2026 HRF Sponsors Second Edition of AI Hack for Freedom in Nashville, TN, May 9–10 The Human Rights Foundation is pleased to sponsor the AI Hack for Freedom II, taking place May 9–10 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Newsletter Apr 27, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #9 We start this month in Russia, where officials proposed new legislation aimed at restricting or banning Russian access to foreign AI models.
