Radu Uszkai, researcher at the Research Centre in Applied Ethics (CCEA), analyses in his latest article published on the 14th of August 2025 in Dilema magazine, titled “About competition in the world of ideas or who would win if humans fought bots,” (ro: Despre competiție în lumea ideilor – sau cine ar cîștiga dacă s-ar bate oamenii cu boții?) the impact that bots and artificial agents have on our fundamental right to free expression.
He argues that the massive presence of artificial agents in digital public discourse severely distorts the concept of the “marketplace of ideas,” which is foundational to liberal democracies. The speed and volume with which bots can generate and propagate content call into question the principle that the best ideas and arguments should prevail, thereby endangering freedom of expression itself.
Radu Uszkai emphasizes that this new, often unequal, form of competition raises critical questions about who holds control over the discourse and how authentic human interaction is compromised by artificial factors. He warns of the urgent necessity to rethink the norms governing the online environment to ensure a healthy competition of ideas and to protect the rights of citizens in the digital space.
The full article is available on the Dilema magazine website: https://www.dilema.ro/tema-saptaminii/despre-competitie-in-lumea-ideilor-sau-cine-ar-cistiga-daca-s-ar-bate-oamenii-cu-botii