PRIO has successfully secured funding from the Research Council of Norway for three new and timely research projects on authoritarian AI (mis)use, biodiversity financing politics and ethical dilemmas in Norway’s preparedness strategies.

  • Understanding and Countering the Advance of AI-enabled Digital Authoritarianism in Asia (AsiaTech).

How does the (mis)use of AI reshape politics in Asia? AsiaTech looks at how China’s AI-driven digital authoritarianism model is spreading across the region, how both Chinese and Western tech firms facilitate repression, and how civil society, journalists, and activists push back against AI-enabled surveillance and disinformation. Led by PRIO Senior Researcher Ilaria Carrozza, AsiaTech will develop an evidence-based framework to assess and mitigate AI-driven threats to democracy and security in Asia.

  • Integrating Land and Biodiversity Protection in Sustainable Funding for People and Planet (BIO-FUND).

BIO-FUND explores how international biodiversity funding in the Colombian Amazon can better reflect the multiple values attached to rainforest protection – from global ecosystem services to the rights and livelihoods of local communities. Led by PRIO Research Professor Simon Reid-Henry, the project addresses a key gap: the lack of shared understanding between local actors, national authorities and international funders regarding what is valued and why.

  • The Ethics of Preparedness: Questioning Priorities in Norwegian Policies of Preparedness (PrepEthics)

PrepEthics investigates how national preparedness efforts in Norway should be prioritized across civil and military domains. Despite growing ambitions to address risks such as war, pandemics and natural disasters, there is currently no shared framework for setting these priorities. Led by PRIO Senior Researcher and Research Director Kristoffer Lidén and conducted by PRIO in collaboration with Utsyn and Langsikt, the project aims to ensure both academic insight and policy relevance.

PRIO Director Nina Græger emphasized the timeliness of these research projects, which focus on important topics like the (mis)use of AI, protection of biodiversity and priorities within preparedness.

‘Building societal resilience to threats and challenges is more important than ever. I am proud that our researchers are making innovative, research-based contributions to these efforts,’ Græger commented.