When algorithms decide who gets heard

By 2030, more of what the world sees, believes and acts on will be shaped by algorithms than by the private rooms where influence once lived. As artificial intelligence polices information flows, ranks credibility and decides what surfaces to leaders and citizens, influence has migrated from conversations between people to interactions with digital systems. 

For decades, influence in diplomacy, business and multilateral negotiations moved through physical rooms, trusted networks and narratives delivered by human intermediaries. Today, those narratives are increasingly filtered, reordered and amplified by AI before they reach decision-makers or the public. UNCTAD’s 2025 Technology and Innovation Report estimates that artificial intelligence is on track to become a frontier technology market worth around $4.8tn globally by 2033, with rapid adoption across content creation, product development, coding and personalised services. 

Major economies have moved from principles to detailed regulatory frameworks, from China’s algorithm registry to the United States’ AI executive order and the European Union’s AI Act. For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its partners across the Global South, influence is no longer just about what you say, but how algorithms rank and route your voice across digital platforms. 

This shift is transforming the geography of influence. Without deliberate effort, influence concentrates in the hands of those who control infrastructure, shape standards and own data ecosystems. Around 95% of international traffic moves over fibre-optic networks built to ITU standards, meaning a small number of standard-setters shape the foundations of connectivity. Many regions, including parts of the Middle East and Africa, are still developing frameworks for data and digital trade, affecting their ability to project influence across borders. 

From my vantage point working at the intersection of digital governance and international affairs, this asymmetry is impossible to ignore. The Gulf’s digital transformation has become an engine for economic diversification, with strategies linked to cross-border data flows, digital markets and AI deployment. 

Yet most countries operate where leading AI and platform governance frameworks are written elsewhere, and algorithmic choices can sideline regional priorities. Differences in data regulation, AI risk classification and platform accountability translate into participation gaps in global debates. Regions not represented in rule-making processes risk becoming rule-takers in AI, rather than rule-shapers. 

Africa’s digital ascent illustrates both what is possible and what is at stake. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2020–2030 sets an ambition for a secured Digital Single Market and universal, safe access to affordable broadband by 2030. Yet ITU’s latest “Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025” shows that only about 38% of Africa’s population used the internet in 2024–2025, the lowest rate of any ITU region and far below the global average of 74% in 2025. Without interoperable standards and equitable infrastructure, Africa’s participation in AI-mediated decision-making and visibility in global narratives will continue to lag behind its ambitions. The future should not be shaped exclusively by a handful of countries. 

In this context, public relations can no longer be treated as a supporting function or an afterthought. It has become strategic infrastructure. The question is no longer “What is our message?” but “How do AI-driven systems interpret, amplify or bury that message before it reaches anyone?” Public relations now encompasses understanding search, recommendation engines and platform ranking; ensuring regional voices are present in AI governance and standard-setting forums; and designing narratives interpreted by both humans and machines.  

Executive engagement has also been transformed by machine-augmented leadership. Senior decision-makers are surrounded by AI-generated dashboards, predictive models and real-time analytics. The Chief of Staff role in ministries, regulators and multilateral bodies has become an interface between this machine-curated environment and the leader’s priorities. Curating that environment means anticipating how issues will be framed by algorithms, preserving institutional priorities and translating complex insights into policy-ready narratives.  

What is needed now is not incremental improvement in public relations and executive engagement, but a new discipline: Influence Architecture. It blends human leadership with machine-mediated realities. It requires engagement with algorithmic ecosystems, platforms and standards bodies to ensure credible information is recognised and regional content is not sidelined, alongside alignment of leadership messaging across political, institutional and digital domains. 

The future of influence will be shaped not only by who speaks, but by the systems that decide what is heard. If regions such as the GCC and Africa are underrepresented in these discussions, their citizens’ priorities will be underrepresented in the resulting systems. Conversely, if the GCC and its partners help shape interoperable, accountable AI governance frameworks that embed transparency, inclusion and equity into AI standards and platform practices, they can expand visibility and voice for all regions — not just their own.