HUMAN RIGHTS AND ETHICS IN AI-DRIVEN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: RISKS, MITIGATION, AND PROTOCOLS

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into strategic communications offers significant opportunities but also poses complex ethical challenges. This study examines the ethical and human rights implications of AI-driven systems used for disseminating information, making decisions and engaging with audiences. Key risks identified include algorithmic opacity, bias and discrimination, misinformation, privacy violations, the manipulation of public opinion and security threats. These risks have the potential to undermine social trust, democratic processes and individual autonomy. A two-stage methodological framework is employed, combining a theoretical risk assessment based on digital ethics, human rights theory and socio-technical analysis, with a technical evaluation using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks. The first stage categorises ethical risks, and the second stage uses machine learning techniques to detect and quantify these risks in textual communication. The study also looks at ways to reduce the risk, such as Explainable AI, human oversight, testing for bias, monitoring content, and creating regulatory frameworks. This shows that AI can be both a source of risk and a tool for ethical governance. The findings highlight the importance of integrating ethical principles, human rights considerations and robust governance mechanisms into the deployment of AI in strategic communications. Combining technological solutions with organisational policies and human oversight enables AI to enhance communication efficiency and innovation, while safeguarding individual rights, promoting trust and supporting democratic and social integrity.