Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545896
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 JULY 2026 OPINION Hélder Sousa Silva and David Casa Shaping AI before it shapes society Silva (EPP) is EP Culture Committee coordinator and Casa (EPP) head of Maltese delegation Composer, researcher and musician Alexander Vella Gregory BY the time this gets published the roaring flames of indigna- tion that spread through the dry desert that is social me- dia would have subsided into warm glowing embers. A 100-year-old statue used for the feast of Our Lady of Mt Car- mel in Valletta was destroyed on Saturday 11 July, ostensibly the result of an accident from a film crew working in the heart of Valletta. The internet went wild. For those who know me, I am a festa freak, or 'mejda tal-qubbajd' as my friends would say. I am fas- cinated not just by the ritual and spectacle, but also by the insights it has afforded me into humanity. If you really want to understand why people vote the way they do, why they channel their fears into unbridled racism, and why they are indifferent to the very serious challenges facing us, go to a festa. Festas are the litmus paper for our society. No wonder pol- iticians jostle to curry favour to these communities, not on- ly pumping money, but offer- ing themselves up to ridiculous vote-buying spectacles in front of holy icons. The irony of watching those who indignantly shout 'foul bloody murder' at incidents like last Saturday's shake hands with the very same policy makers re- sponsible for the mess we are in is not lost on me. Now, I will not profess to speak on behalf of the Valletta commu- nity or the festa community, or whatever is left of them. If this had happened 20 or 30 years ago, it would have resulted in nothing more than a little snippet of local news. Indeed, this is not the first inci- dent of its kind—a similar inci- dent destroyed a similar priceless statue of Saint Vincent Ferrer that formed part of the festa dec- orations for the feast of St Domi- nic in Valletta. But this was back when Valletta was still a city, not a theme park. Let us be clear. Millions have been pumped into Valletta. Di- lapidated buildings restored, churches saved, public buildings returned to the nation. One need only mention the Grand Master's Palace, the Valletta Design Clus- ter, and the Valletta market. I have the luxury of working in one such Valletta monument—the in- vestment is real and genuine. Funds have also been pumped into voluntary organisations (in- cluding festa organisations) sav- ing many from bankruptcy and eviction. But when all is weighed up, what have we really gained? Dwindling generation Back in 2014 I embarked on my doctoral research. I chose Vallet- ta; a community in flux, which had suddenly become the focus of international attention thanks to Valletta 2018 European Capi- tal of Culture. Back then 'Valletta' became a synonym for 'culture'. It also became a brand. 'Valletta' was the place to be. One of my first exercises was to interview 100 people who were somehow related to Valletta; who lived there, brought up there, worked there, and by the time I finished in 2018, at least half of them had left the city. Valletta was being carved out. Blocks upon blocks of Valletta were cleared for short lets and boutique hotels. Property, al- ready unreachable for many, was impossible for Valletta residents. At least 80% of all Valletta festa volunteers do not live in Valletta. The younger generation, though incredibly dedicated, is dwin- dling. Some pockets survive like Mandraġġ, Dijuballi, and Arċip- ierku—but only just. The ones that remain are fiercely protec- tive, to the point of being aggres- sive and unforgiving. I do not blame them. Never ever blame the victim. Institutional chaos No one here is arguing that tourism is bad or hospitality is evil, but put away your mobile phones and experience Valletta through your senses, not the tint- ed broken mirrors of influencers. Once again, I have the luxury of working in a heritage building. I've seen drunk people piss and throw up against our church walls. I've seen young party-goers driving the wrong way, entering pedestrian areas, and reversing into street furniture. The music from certain establishments can be heard from two to three blocks away with street DJs, full on rock bands, and rave parties in historic buildings. And we haven't even started on the streets over-run with advertisement boards, tables and chairs, and peddlers selling cheap wares. That chaos is exacerbated even at an institutional level. No-one will shoulder responsibility be- cause no-one can. A policy of A teenager scrolling through social media to- day can encounter a deepfake political speech, an AI-generated song, a fabricated news story and a digitally restored Beatles recording—all within a matter of minutes. Artificial intelli- gence has already transformed society. The challenge now is to equip citizens, especially young people, with skills to navigate this new reality while preserving the values that define our democracies and cultures. AI is reshaping the way we learn, create, communicate and participate in public life. In education, it offers unprecedented oppor- tunities for personalised learning and access to knowledge. In culture, it is opening new possibilities for artistic expression, heritage preservation and creative collaboration. Yet these opportunities are accompanied by seri- ous risks. For the European People's Party (EPP), this is not simply a debate about technology. It is a debate about democracy, education, culture and Europe's future competitiveness. As AI-generated content becomes increas- ingly present in our daily lives, transparency becomes essential. Citizens should be able to understand when and how artificial intel- ligence has been used to create text, images, audio recordings or video. Trust in the digital age depends not only on innovation but also on clarity and accountability. AI is transforming culture in ways that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago. The use of AI technology to restore John Lennon's voice and allow The Beatles to com- plete the song Now And Then, demonstrated how technology can enhance human creativity rather than replace it. But AI also raises fundamental questions about authenticity. More than eight in 10 Eu- ropeans say they prefer content created by hu- mans rather than by AI. They understand that culture is not simply content production. It is expression, identity and human connection. As Pope Leo XIV notes in his recent encyc- lical Magnifica Humanitas, artificial intelli- gence is neither neutral in its development nor in its impact. The choices made by devel- opers, businesses, policymakers and users all influence how these technologies shape our societies, economies and democracies. This is why Europe's approach must be guided by the principle that innovation and responsibility must advance together. The EPP Group believes Europe must em- brace AI as a tool for progress while ensuring that human creativity, democratic values and cultural diversity remain at its core. While Eu- rope has already taken important regulatory steps, legislation alone is not enough. The current legislative framework was not designed to address all the specific character- istics of the cultural and creative sectors. The AI strategy for the cultural and creative sec- tors, which the European Commission is ex- pected to launch in early 2027 as part of the European Cultural Compass, should therefore be ambitious, comprehensive and attentive to citizens' concerns. Generative AI systems rely heavily on cultur- al and creative works, yet creators often lack transparency regarding how their work is used and whether they are fairly remunerated when value is generated from it. At the same time, recommendation algorithms increasingly de- termine what people see, hear and discover online. If these systems favour scale and commer- cially predictable outputs, we risk marginalis- ing independent creators, minority languages and the cultural diversity that lies at the heart of Europe's identity. Education must therefore become our first line of defence and our greatest opportunity. Digital literacy, media literacy and AI litera- cy should be considered essential skills for the 21st century. Young Europeans must learn not only how to use AI tools, but also how to un- derstand their limitations, critically assess in- formation and recognise manipulation when they encounter it. At the same time, creators, cultural organisations and educational institu- tions must be supported in adapting to a rap- idly changing digital environment. AI capabilities are evolving faster than our institutions, educational systems, and cultural policies can adapt. At a time of growing geo- political competition and increasing polarisa- tion, Europe must invest in the skills, creativi- ty and resilience of its people. The future will not be decided by algorithms alone. It will be decided by the values we em- bed in them and the citizens we empower through education. If we get this right, AI will not diminish our humanity. It will help us ex- press it more fully than ever before. The future will not be decided by algorithms alone. It will be decided by the values we embed in them and the citizens we empower through education. If we get this right, AI will not diminish our humanity. It will help us express it more fully than ever before