In brief
In a three‑hour talk at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, Barack Obama addressed 12,150 people, cautioning that social media’s focus on sensational content can stir fear and hate. He declared that a slide into extremism is not inevitable if the U.S. and Europe enforce lessons from history and adopt new rules to curb misinformation. Emphasizing a critical balance between free speech and responsibility, Obama warned AI could blur truth and challenge democracy. He closed with a call for active hope and remembering the lessons of the past.
Barack Obama told a packed audience in Glasgow that hope is worth fighting for, even as the modern world faces major challenges.
He warned that online platforms have increasingly prioritised content which stokes anger and fear, a trend he says could fuel extremist sentiment.
The former president spoke to 12,150 people on the OVO Hydro stage and answered questions from journalist Sathnam Sanghera, marking the third stop of his UK lecture tour.
During his 2008 campaign he saw social media as a beacon of hope; now he noted that the same tools can also be used by hate groups.
“The reptilian side of our brain really gets attracted to anger, fear, resentment and the sense that someone is out to get you,” he said. “So a lot of social media feeds are shaped around that.”
He added that the drift towards extremism is not inevitable, pointing to post‑World War II reforms that held powerful figures accountable for propaganda.
Obama stressed that a critical balance must be struck between free speech and regulation, and that new institutions are needed to support rigorous debate while filtering misinformation.
He warned that artificial‑intelligence‑generated content will make it harder to separate truth from fiction, a challenge that could undermine democratic functioning.
Concluding, he urged listeners to remember that the moral universe does bend towards justice, but that hope requires an active, almost theological, choice.
