• SAWM-SL event to address AI misuse and gender-based violence

The Sri Lanka chapter of South Asian Women in Media (SAWM-SL) will host a discussion tomorrow (10) examining how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming journalism while also being used against females in public life.

The event, to be held at the Mandarina Hotel in Colombo, centres on new research by Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa titled ‘Both a Tool and a Weapon: AI's Impact on Journalism and TFGBV’. It explores how generative AI is reshaping newsroom practices while enabling technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).

The research draws on documented evidence, including the January 2026 xAI Grok incident, which resulted in a sharp rise in AI-generated non-consensual imagery targeting women. These developments raise urgent questions around media freedom, newsroom safety, ethical reporting and the protection of women in public life.

SAWM-SL stated the research represents the first comprehensive Sri Lankan analysis of the gendered impact of AI on journalism and the first discussion convened specifically for women in the country’s media sector.

An afternoon consultation, organised with the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), will bring together senior editors and media decision-makers to develop guidelines for ethical AI use in Sri Lankan newsrooms.

The session will review AI policies from international media organisations as well as ethical frameworks from UNESCO, the European Federation of Journalists and the World Association of News Publishers, and examine how these can be adapted locally.

Both sessions are part of a SAWM-SL project supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to strengthen AI awareness among women in media.

Founded in Colombo in 2009, SAWM-SL is Sri Lanka’s first all-women media association and part of a regional South Asian network promoting gender equality, media freedom and the advancement of women journalists.