In 2024, Europe faces a crucial election amidst a growing concern for democracy: the distorted public sphere, where meaningful debates to let superior arguments prevail seem lost. The rise of so-called social media, long defining the new media reality, has transformed the public arena into a profit-driven frenzy, opening doors to propagandists while sidelining democratic ideals.

This election marks a significant shift: the increased deployment of new generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces unprecedented mass manipulation capabilities. Notably, Germany allows 16-year-olds to vote for the composition of the European Parliament for the first time. With TikTok emerging as a primary source for youth information and opinion shaping, the platform’s influence, driven by profit-driven algorithms, challenges democratic discourse. As public broadcasters adapt to reach younger audiences on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, they risk diluting their core mission, sacrificing factual integrity for subjective narratives. Establishing a European information infrastructure could counter this trend, offering reliable alternatives and fostering cross-lingual understanding, leveraging AI to promote a democratic and inclusive discourse across Europe.