Freedom House Freedom on the internet of the future T he acceleration of digital isolation as a tool of authoritarian governments and the rapid adoption of age-assurance frameworks pose novel challenges, even as the rise of AI services that perform tasks autonomously promises transformative consequences for the internet. Around the world, societies will grapple with questions about how to ensure that people in repressive environments can stay connected, balance the need to build safer online spaces against the right to free expression, and ensure access to reliable information as AI services become more deeply embedded in daily life. The societal response to these challenges will shape how people exercise and access their fundamental rights online. New barriers to online spaces and the rapid adoption of AI services threaten to undermine the power of exchange and expression, benefits that have embedded internet services deeply in today’s societies. Interconnected networks enable people to learn and speak more freely, building stronger democratic systems even when powerful actors control other sources of information. This is the long vision of internet freedom and should serve as a guidepost for the internet of the AI era. Young people around the world mobilized landmark protests using digital tools. In India, a nationwide movement for educational and economic reforms adopted the satirical moniker Cockroach Janta Party. (Photo: Adnan Abidi via Reuters) freedomhouse.org 17