Egypt's government has unveiled a new artificial intelligence-based platform to verify the accuracy of news and identify what officials describe as “false or misleading” reports concerning the state, society and national economy.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the initiative during a meeting on Sunday with cabinet members, media regulators and senior officials.
The platform, developed by the cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Centre, is being tested as a support tool that performs rapid content analysis of published news or images for review, officials said.
Mr Madbouly said the technology forms part of a wider framework to counter what he called “rumours” and “false news” spread on social media platforms and news outlets.
He said the government welcomed constructive criticism of its performance but would act decisively against those who “intentionally spread false information” that could undermine public confidence or the national economy, “especially at a time when economic indicators are showing positive trends”.
Cabinet spokesman Mohamed El Homsany said that while existing legislation already imposed sanctions on the dissemination of false news, participants in the meeting reviewed proposals to increase penalties for repeated or deliberate violations to ensure a stronger deterrent.
Officials also agreed to increase co-ordination among ministries and national media authorities through specialised monitoring units responsible for evaluating disputed content and initiating legal steps when required.
The government said these measures aimed to protect the public from destabilising misinformation.
International rights organisations describe Egypt’s media environment as highly restricted, citing cases in which journalists and social media users have been prosecuted for publishing material that was deemed inaccurate or harmful to the state.
Governments worldwide are exploring AI‑based models to identify disinformation online, prompting debate about how such systems define accuracy and affect freedom of speech.
