Experts: What distinguishes "Bridge Summit 2025" Its ability to bring together governments and the private sector to discuss the future of media

Abu Dhabi, December 10 / WAM / Experts in media and digital policies confirmed that what distinguishes the “Bridge Summit 2025” is its unique ability to bring governments and the private sector together at one table to discuss the future of media and exchange solutions.

They explained that this intersection between the parties is what allows frank discussions about the most pressing challenges, most notably artificial intelligence and the rise of misinformation.

This came during a session entitled “Designing a Global Guide for News Platforms,” within the activities of the first session of the Bridge Summit 2025, which is being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), with the participation of 430 speakers from 45 countries, including leading innovators, policy makers, investors, technology experts, media institutions, and cultural leaders, presenting more than 300 sessions, distributed over the seven summit tracks: media, content creation economy, art, music, and electronic games, Technology, marketing, and filmmaking.

The session brought together three of the most prominent international leaders and experts in media and digital policy: Joseph O’Gurelian, founder of Amber Capital and Chairman of PRISA, John Darcy, CEO of SALT and partner of SkyBrige, and Sir Oliver Dowden, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The speakers explained that the current stage requires global cooperation to quickly expose misinformation and prevent it from turning into stable facts in the public’s consciousness. They pointed out that the media sector is going through a pivotal moment that requires building a new model that balances creativity with consumer protection, enhances confidence, and ensures a more transparent and sustainable environment.

Joseph Ogurelian stated that the global media landscape has become very diverse and one direction cannot be drawn from it, explaining that his group, which is the largest Spanish-speaking media group, works across multiple sectors from music to news and sports, and each sector has different dynamics.

He added that huge acquisitions, such as the offer made by “Paramount” to acquire “Warner” for $108 billion, reflect the continued attractiveness of traditional media assets, in parallel with the increasing appetite of investors for media enhanced by artificial intelligence.

He noted that the proliferation of AI-generated content may eventually push audiences back to trusted media brands. He said: “With more than half of the content on the Internet now being produced by robots, there is a need for reliable, human-led journalism.”

For his part, John Darcy said: The world of media investment is witnessing clear polarization. On the one hand, there is significant funding for the very early stages; On the other hand, there are huge deals at the top of the market, but the most fragile stage, which is the growth stage, suffers from a severe shortage of liquidity, as a result of the decline in public offerings over five to seven years, which led to a slowdown in the circulation of capital in private equity and venture capital funds.

He added that this gap threatens promising media companies, noting that addressing this imbalance is an economic necessity.

In response to a question about the measures that investors need from governments to feel secure with their capital, Darcy said: The rise of algorithm-supported misinformation, whether through algorithmic angles that reinforce bias or coordinated campaigns aimed at destabilizing democracies, makes the issue of regulation and protection of the information space a vital issue that concerns not only the business sector, but also affects families and communities.

He explained that ethical investing is important, but the economics of the deal remain the primary driver in any capitalist environment.

As for Sir Oliver Dowden, he stressed that the question is no longer about whether governments should intervene, but rather about when and how.

He added that the content makers economy has become a reality, as capital has flowed to buy content libraries and create specialized investment funds, and that the real energy today comes from the content produced by the public and digital communities.

He pointed out that governments face the same challenges faced by the private sector, and that what distinguishes the “Bridge Summit” is its ability to bring the two parties together in specialized discussions to exchange solutions, stressing the importance of cooperation between countries and companies in exposing and confronting misleading information before it turns into established facts in the minds of the public.

He explained that the government’s role should be focused on protecting creativity, not restricting it, except in cases related to misleading information or content that threatens society.

He believed that the public’s return to relying on reliable media brands is inevitable, because social media has become an environment that pushes users towards more polarized content, while artificial intelligence and its tools such as ChatGPT tend to moderate and provide a balanced view.

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